An investigation has been launched after a Spanish tourist was filmed pouring beer down an elephant’s trunk while on holiday in Kenya, sparking a furious backlash.
The man posted a clip on Instagram of himself drinking from a can of Tusker, a Kenyan beer, and giving the rest to the elephant.
Several investigations have now been launched against the tourist, who captioned the now-deleted video: “Just a tusker with a tusked friend.”
The clip was filmed at the Ol Jogi Conservancy, a wildlife sanctuary in the Kenyan county of Laikipia.
A staff member told the BBC they were shocked by the behaviour, saying: “This should never have happened. We're a conservation and we can't allow that to happen.
"We don't even allow people to go near the elephants."
They told the broadcaster that the video would be handed over to the relevant authorities.
A comment on one of the man’s Instagram posts said: “Are you the now world-famous imbecile who gave beer to the elephant (or else pretended to do it, an equally moronic thing to do)? Congratulations!”
Dr Winnie Kiiru, a Kenyan biologist and elephant conservationist, said: “About 95% of elephants in Kenya are wild and it is wrong to have social media posts that give the impression that you can get close to the elephants and feed them,” according to the BBC.
The animal in the video is believed to be Bupa, a male elephant who was rescued from an elephant cull and brought to the sanctuary at eight years old in 1989.
Staff member Dylan Habil told the BBC: "He has also broken our rules because he was not supposed to touch the rhinos because they are not pets.”
One comment on the video said: “You can’t hide what you are doing and you are not welcome in Kenya. Shame on you. Disgusting behaviour!”
The Independent has contacted the man for comment.
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