Tourist Faces Backlash For Pouring Beer Into Elephant's Trunk In Kenya

A Spanish tourist is under investigation after he allegedly poured beer down an elephant's trunk at a wildlife sanctuary in Kenya. In the now-deleted video, the man, who uses the Instagram handle @skydive_kenya, can be seen drinking from a can of Tusker, a popular Kenyan beer, before pouring the remaining drink in the trunk of the elephant named Bupa.

According to a BBC report, the incident occurred at Ol Jogi Conservancy in central Kenya's Laikipia County last year but came to light recently after Kenyans slammed the tourist who captioned the video clip: "Just a tusker with a tusked friend."

"This should never have happened. We're a conservation and we can't allow that to happen," a member of the staff told the publication. "We don't even allow people to go near the elephants."

Kenya Wildlife Service (KWS) spokesperson Paul Udoto said a probe was ordered into the matter to identify the man who does not use his name on social media accounts.

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'He should be fined'

The wildlife sanctuary shared a statement last month on Facebook, confirming the incident whilst adding that the elephant in the clip is in good health.

"Ol Jogi Wildlife Conservancy is aware of a video resurfacing showing an individual feeding beer to one of our habituated elephants. Bupa, the elephant shown in the video, has lived at Ol Jogi for many years," read the statement.

"We take matters like this extremely seriously and remain committed to ensuring the well-being and dignity of the animals in our care," the conservancy concluded.

Reacting to the news, social media users were furious about the man's actions and demanded strict action against him.

"He should be fined and deported. End of holiday. And named," said one user, while another added: "Ban this dude from all wildlife venues for life."

A third commented: "Every animal on this planet deserves to feel safe and respected!!! This is absolutely disturbing, shameful, horrifying, and unacceptable."