Wildlife conservationists in Kenya are reeling after a video surfaced of a Spanish tourist pouring beer into the trunk of an elephant at the Ol Jogi Conservancy in Laikipia County.
The clip, which has since been deleted, drew widespread condemnation online and reignited concerns about irresponsible tourist behaviour in Africa’s protected reserves.
The man, who posts under the social media handle “Skydive_Kenya”, was filmed drinking Tusker beer before tipping the remainder into the elephant’s trunk. “Just a tusker with a tusked friend,” he captioned the video, seemingly oblivious to the outrage it would cause.
Conservation staff at Ol Jogi were shocked by the stunt. A spokesperson said: “This should never have happened. We’re a conservation space and we cannot allow this. We don’t even permit visitors to go near the elephants.”
The incident is now under review by relevant Kenyan authorities.
The elephant in question is believed to be “Bupa”, a well-known male with distinctive tusks who has lived at the conservancy since 1989 after being rescued from a mass cull in Zimbabwe.
Bupa, who is often described as gentle and approachable, has become something of an ambassador for the reserve, which is home to around 500 elephants.
The incident has sparked calls for tighter enforcement of safari rules and stricter penalties for tourists who endanger wildlife.
Many online critics called for the man’s deportation, while others highlighted the need for greater respect for animals in conservation areas.
Adding to the controversy, the same tourist posted other clips of himself feeding elephants carrots and joking “We are on beer time.” He was also filmed feeding a rhino at the nearby Ol Pejeta Conservancy.
Bupa was rescued from a mass elephant cull in Zimbabwe in 1989 and brought to the conservancy when he was eight years old.
Ol Jogi says it is home to about 500 elephants and regards itself one of the pioneers in rehabilitating animal orphans and releasing them back to the wild.
The man featured in the beer videos, who describes himself as an “adrenaline junkie” on TikTok, had posted a video on Monday in which he is seen at the nearby Ol Pejeta Conservancy feeding a rhino with carrots.
“He has also broken our rules because he was not supposed to touch the rhinos because they are not pets,” Dylan Habil from Ol Pejeta said.
The incident comes barely a week after a group of tourists were filmed blocking migrating wildebeest at Kenya’s Maasai Mara during the annual wildlife migration – one of the world’s greatest wildlife spectacles.
The viral footage showed visitors jumping out of safari vehicles, crowding riverbanks and forcing wildebeests into crocodile-infested waters – sparking outage.
Following the incident, the tourism and wildlife ministry announced stricter rules, directing tour operators to enforce park rules by ensuring visitors remain inside vehicles except in designated areas.
It also pledged to improve signage across the wildlife parks and intensify visitor education on safety rules.
The Maasai Mara wildebeest migration draws thousands of visitors annually and is regarded as one of Kenya’s most prized natural heritage assets.
