FC Conradie, a 39-year-old millionaire and co-owner of Gondwana Game Reserve in South Africa, was trampled to death by an adult male elephant. He was trying to move elephants away from tourist lodges when one suddenly charged.
South African police confirmed that “an employee” was reported to have been killed by an elephant.
“He had been trampled and mauled by the elephant, and the emergency services declared the man dead at the scene, and rangers moved the elephant away to another area,” Warrant Officer Kappie Kapp said.
The park is popular with celebrities and costs £900 (more than ₹1 lakh) per couple per night. It’s not clear if guests saw the attack. This was the second deadly elephant attack at the reserve, according to MailOnline.
Conradie loved elephants and often photographed them. FC trusted the elephants, but they were still wild. The millionaire lived in Stellenbosch with his wife La-ida and their three sons, aged 6, 11 and 12.
Conradie had degrees in zoology, commerce, animal studies and marketing. A senior source said everyone had been warned not to speak.
“Because he is the boss man, everybody has been warned to say absolutely nothing or they will be out the same day, it is a big clamp down,” MailOnline quoted the source as saying.
“FC was a great guy to work for, and he loved his elephants, which were his favourite, and he felt he had a trust with them, but you have to never forget they may live in a reserve but are wild. He will be greatly missed by all here,” the source said.
An investigation is going on as the elephant that killed him may be from the same herd that killed guide David Kandela earlier.
A similar incident
In March 2024, guide Kandela was killed when an elephant injured the 36-year-old and other elephants tore him apart.
A close friend of David said Gondwana had failed to inform his wife and son about his death. His wife came to know about it through Facebook. The park gave no help or compensation to raise their son, the friend said.
David was killed by an elephant named Bonny while guiding her through the Eco Tent Lodge. She suddenly charged at him, and the other rangers had no guns. They only had stones to defend him.
Bonny had come from a circus, but no one knew the reason for her coming to the park. According to the friend, two similar deaths in a short time cannot be a “one-off”.