A Spanish tourist’s unusual action in Kenya recently provoked a backlash after he shared an Instagram video showing him pouring a drink down an elephant’s trunk, according to the BBC.
The BBC confirmed the footage was genuine and showed the man emptying a can of Tusker, a popular local beer, into the elephant’s trunk.
Outrage has erupted after a viral video showed a Spanish tourist pouring beer into the trunk of a tame elephant named Bupa at Ol Jogi Conservancy, Kenya.
Though the incident occurred last year, it surfaced online recently, triggering backlash from conservationists and citizens.… pic.twitter.com/Wb1GQzOmj7
— Liberty Wire (@LibertyWirein) September 1, 2025
He had captioned the post, “Just a tusker with a tusked friend,” but intense criticism from Kenyans in the comments compelled the tourist to delete his video, the BBC reported, though the event has since raised broader concerns about wildlife safety.
Elephants cross a road at Tsavo-East National Park, Voi town in Taita-Taveta County, Kenya, on Aug. 7, 2025 (AP/Brian Inganga)
The Ol Jogi Conservancy, a wildlife refuge in the central Kenyan county of Laikipia, expressed its alarm regarding the event. A statement from the conservancy cited by the BBC described the incident as, “It was unacceptable, dangerous and against our values.”
The Kenya Wildlife Service (KWS) and other agencies are currently investigating the matter.
One staff member, using the pseudonym Frank, commented on the situation. The staffer told the BBC, “This should never have happened. We’re a conservation group and we can’t allow this to happen.”
He also stated, “I was shocked by the behaviour of our unidentified guest. We don’t even allow locals to go near the elephants.”
The elephant given the beer has been identified by the KWS as Bupa, a friendly male, the BBC reported. The service added that the animal was rescued from a mass elephant cull in Zimbabwe in 1989.