Elephant Kills U.S. Mom and Baby in Kenya

(AP)  A lone elephant charged out of the brush as an American family was hiking near Mount Kenya and trampled to death a mother and the 1-year-old daughter she held in her arms, officials said Wednesday.

Four adults and the baby were walking with an unarmed guide just outside Mount Kenya National Park on Monday morning when the elephant charged, said Kenya Wildlife Service official Michael Kipkeu.

The family was hiking on a nature trail about 1 mile from the Castle Forest Lodge, where the family was vacationing, said the owner, Melia van Laar.

"The elephant emerged from the bush at full speed without any warning," van Laar said. "Everybody ran away, but the lady, burdened by the weight of the baby, perhaps, or in panic, was not able to run fast enough."

Officials identified the woman as Sharon Brown, 39, and said her daughter's name was Margaux. No hometown in the United States was given. Brown and her husband are listed as faculty members at the International School of Kenya. Friends and colleagues at the American-curriculum K-12 school held a memorial service on Wednesday.

A school official declined to comment on the incident, as did a representative of the family.

60 Minutes: The Secret Language of Elephants

Walking tours of Kenya's many national parks are common, though hikers are advised to have an armed guard with them if the park is known to have elephants, said Kentice Tikolo, a spokeswoman for the Kenya Wildlife Service.

"It was a lone elephant and lone elephants can be quite dangerous," Tikolo said. "It probably felt quite threatened."

Tikolo said deaths by charging elephants are rare in Kenya, though they happen about once a year.

Because the Castle Forest Lodge lies just outside the boundary of Mount Kenya National Park, the family was walking with a hotel guide, who is not allowed to carry a gun, said Tikolo. The national park is about 180 miles north of the capital, Nairobi.

[TheStolenGiraffe]

Its a shame people still find a way to poke fun at this after a mother and her child were killed as a result of this incident.

[DaVicar8]

The shame is that you don't see the humor in it.

Silly little humans take their baby children halfway around the world and stand in front of the planet's largest, most powerful land animal (not to mention one of the fastest land animals), and after decades of the same type of little mammals killing elephants indiscriminantly just so they can yank out their teeth and carve pictures of little fishes and dragons on them, and sell them in some two-bit market place for a few lousy American dollars...and then they are surpirsed when one of the elephants exacts a little revenge?

Now THAT'S funny.

[DaVicar8]

Just take away the elephant's credit card...that should keep them from charging.

[avigil2]

What a stupid joke.

[Brokennews]

If you can't pack a gun, you should at least carry a mouse to scare the elephant away!!

[DaVicar8]

African mice aren't that scary, and you can't get a New York mouse in carry-on luggage.

[TryTakingMyMoney]

Sad way to learn a lesson. Message to the world...stop abusing elephants and elephants will stop charging. Keep your distance, stop invading habitats, stop extreme sports, and stop relying on the tax payers to bail you out when you get in trouble for making stupid decisions.

[rematenaj]

So right Money! Elephants are very intelligent - they communicate with each other. They know that humans are destroying their ancient migration routes and their natural habitat. The word does get passed between herds and individual elephants. I am so sad the mother and baby were killed. It is horrible for them and their family. I am, however, glad that the elephant was not killed in retaliation.

[ALBrainTrust10]

OK OK ...ease up on this was Mother Natures revenge.....This was humans enjoying a walk in nature and nature doing something natural. Shame she could not run fast enough...... Can't imagine the husband and kids feelings.

[nowhiningallowed]

Why would anyone in the right mind seek to hike a nature trail in the jungle with an unarmed guide? The tragedy could have been avoided had these individuals used their common sense and not foolishly enter a wild area without sufficient protection. Sad, so sad.