FC Conradie, chief executive and co-owner of a private game reserve, was trampled to death by an elephant in South Africa
Emergency responders were called around 8 a.m. local time on Tuesday, July 22, and they found him dead
Conradie, 39, is survived by his wife and three children
A CEO died this week after being trampled by an elephant on his property in South Africa, authorities said.
FC Conradie, the 39-year-old co-owner of the luxury Gondwana private game reserve in Mossel Bay on the Western Cape, suffered fatal injuries after an elephant charged him on Tuesday, July 22, local authorities said in a statement to PEOPLE on Thursday, July 24.
“According to reports available, emergency services were summoned to the scene after the man was trampled by an elephant at about 08:00 [a.m. local time],” the statement continued.
“On arrival, the members found the man, employed at the business, with multiple injuries. He was later declared dead by paramedics on scene,” officials said. “The elephant was already moved away from the camp on arrival.”
“This is an unimaginable loss. FC was more than a leader — he was a mentor, a visionary, and a truly remarkable human being,” a family friend and spokesperson for the reserve said in the statement, on behalf of Gondwana.
“We kindly ask for privacy and space for the family during this incredibly difficult time. Everyone who knew FC is grieving deeply,” they said, calling Conradie “a passionate conservationist.”
“His unwavering commitment to wildlife conservation, community upliftment, and sustainable tourism left a lasting impact on everyone who had the privilege of working with him,” the friend said.
According to U.K. newspaper The Times, guests at another reserve had received warnings about elephants entering camps by breaking through fences, while a guide at Gondwana, 36-year-old David Kandela, was killed by an elephant at the reserve last year.
The reserve previously said there “was an inherent risk in working closely with wild animals,” The Times reported.
