Grand Mother Died After Being Hit by Zebra While On Kenya Safari

Eileen Whale was knocked over and killed by a zebra during a Kenya safari. The grandmother died after being knocked down by a zebra on a safari holiday in Kenya. Eileen Whale, 77, was hit by the Zebra as it ran away after apparently being disciplined for trying to stick its nose into another safari holidaymaker's handbag. She died of medical complications following the fall, an inquest heard. The eight - year-old zebra was said to have been orphaned as a foal and kept as a pet by staff at the Mara Buffalo Camp safari lodge in Masai Mara Game Reserve.

Mrs. Whale's husband Charles said in a statement how the zebra had been allowed to roam free around the Mara Buffalo lodge operated by the African Safari Club. He said: 'It kept going on people's balconies and went into one room where a lady got bitten on her thigh.

'My wife and I were at the safari camp waiting for safari land cruiser to take us to an air strip so we could fly to Mombassa Beach Hotel. 'I was sitting down and my wife was talking to a friend. The zebra was standing next to a lady sitting close by. 'The lady had a large handbag and the zebra was trying to open it with its nose.

'Someone must have struck the zebra on the nose or done something to frighten it as it suddenly turned and bolted. 'My wife was walking back towards me. The zebra ran five to ten yards and was going very fast when it abruptly ran into her. My wife had no possibility of avoiding it.

'Eileen flew into the air and fell down.' Mr. Whale, a retired teacher, said he and other Kenya safari makers rushed to help her after the impact on September 29.

He said she was left in a great deal of pain and had to be lifted off the aircraft after being flown back to Mombassa where she was staying at the Flamingo Beach Hotel.

Mrs. Whale, a retired accounts manager of Ipswich, Suffolk, was X-rayed and found to have no broken bones. But the inquest in Ipswich heard how she was in so much pain that she was admitted to a local hospital where she stayed for 17 days while battling kidney problems.

Mrs. Whale was only fit enough to fly back to Britain, accompanied by a nurse from Kenya, on November 14, and was admitted to Ipswich Hospital four days later. She was allowed home on Christmas Eve, but returned to hospital after Christmas because she had gastro-intestinal problems. She was later diagnosed as having pancreatitis.

The free-roaming zebra, pictured just hours before it knocked over Eileen Whale, is hopefully being removed to a national park. Mrs. Whale died at home on February 21 this year and her cause of death was later given as pancreatits and gastro-intestinal bleeding. Her GP Dr Juno Jesuthasan said he believed her death was due to the collision with the Kenya zebra.

He told the inquest: 'My belief is that this lady was well prior to the safari to Kenya. I think the accident with the zebra, in my opinion, was the beginning of all of these problems. Her prolonged ill health resulted from the accident.'

Greater Suffolk coroner Dr Peter Dean recorded a narrative verdict stating that she died form the combined effects of gastro intestinal bleeding and pancreatitis after suffering a series of medical complications since being accidentally hit by a zebra. He described her death as 'a complex medical situation', stating there was a balance of probability that her intestinal problems had been caused by her long stay in a Kenya hospital.

He added that there was a chance that she could also have developed pancreatitis as a result of being injured. Mr Whale said after the hearing: 'My wife left this country aged, but with no ongoing major health problems for a once-in-a-lifetime safari holiday in Kenya.

'She deteriorated within a day of her return and spent virtually the rest of her life in and out of hospital and in a great deal of pain which she bore very stoically until finally losing her life. 'Her family regards her death as being a consequence of the injuries received from the zebra.'

A spokesman for the African Safari Club based in Mombassa Kenya said the firm had not been aware of any previous incidents involving the zebra. He added that 'The safety and well being of our customers is our main concern and, upon arrival, guests are advised to take care around the zebra and to avoid making any abrupt movements that might panic the Zebra. 'We can verify that preparations are being made for the zebra moved by the Kenyan Wildlife Service as it cannot survive in the Game Reserves. 'Instead we are negotiating a placement for it at the Nairobi National Park that houses the Animal Orphanage in Nairobi.

'No other wildlife are kept as pets at any of the hotels tented camps, beach resorts, safari lodges operated by the African Safari Club, and as always, strict security is in place to ensure the safety of our guests.'