Pretoria - A seemingly tame bushbuck which wandered around Letaba Rest Camp at the Kruger National Park could cost SANParks dearly.
The animal allegedly attacked a child who fed it a biscuit.
The mother of the child is claiming R633 000 in damages from SanParks, as well as from the management of the Letaba Rest Camp.
The Pretoria East mother, who cannot be identified to protect her daughter, now 12, is holding park officials liable for the attack.
The child was 8 when the family visited the camp in 2011, during which the bushbuck gored her in the face with its horns.
The mother said in papers before the high court in Pretoria that they were on a family holiday at the Kruger National Park in August 2011 and stayed over for a night at Letaba.
As they walked to one of the restaurants, they saw bushbuck walking freely between the chalets and the visitors.
“It was clear that they were well acquainted with the area and with the guests walking among them.
“The bushbuck did not seem to be aggressive and there was no indication that they were dangerous, or that anyone was scared of them,” the mother stated.
The child’s parents were parking the car the next morning as they were due to leave, and the child was playing outside the chalet.
She had a biscuit in her hand and offered it to a bushbuck, which had approached her.
It took it out of her hand and the child, fascinated by this, went to fetch another. She once again extended her hand to feed the animal, but it attacked her with its horns, cutting open her jaw.
The mother said the child did not expect this as the animal did not previously show any sign of aggression towards her or any of the visitors and the family believed the animal to be tame.
The child cried hysterically and her parents took her to the duty manager at the camp hoping that someone would assist with her injuries.
The mother said they explained to the head ranger what happened, who according to her responded, “when this happens we escort the buck from the camp”.
The mother said there was no first aid kit on the premises, nor anyone trained to assist the child.
They managed to find a bandage to wrap around the child’s jaw to stop the bleeding.
They then rushed to the nearest doctor, about 50km away.
According to the mother, the doctor told them that another child had also been attacked at this camp by a bushbuck before.
She further stated that the duty manager at the camp confirmed the earlier incident and said they were “going to do something about the bushbuck responsible for the attack”.
The mother said the camp management had a duty of care towards its visitors to ensure that wild animals are kept away from visitors.
SANParks has not yet stated its defence.
The other park officials cited as defendants have at this point raised technical objections to the claim.