Heartwarming Story Of Elephant Guarding Dead Ranger Is Entirely Fake, Officials Warn

South African National Parks (SANParks) has dismissed a viral social media image allegedly showing a loyal elephant standing guard over a deceased ranger in the Kruger National Park (KNP).

The image, which is believed to have been generated by AI, quickly went viral as users shared an emotional story about a long-serving ranger named Sipho Nkosi, who supposedly died of a heart attack while on patrol.

According to the fabricated claims, his body was discovered being guarded by an old bull elephant called “Mnumzane”. The post claimed the animal stood watch for three days to protect the ranger from predators.

Online users found the story deeply moving, captivated by claims that cameras showed that the elephant gently touched the body with its trunk, chased away scavengers like hyenas and jackals, and even covered the ranger with branches.

The narrative went on to claim that Sipho had rescued the elephant as a calf years earlier after poachers killed its mother, and that the animal had never forgotten his kindness.

However, SANParks has firmly debunked the story, saying no such incident ever took place.

Rey Thakhuli, SANParks’ general manager for communications, asserted that the story was entirely fabricated.

He stressed that there is no record of a ranger by that name, nor any report of an elephant behaving this way.

“It is a fictitious story,” Thakhuli said. “We do not give animals names, and we have no ranger by that name. The author wrote a fictional account and failed to mention that it wasn’t true.”

He also clarified that “Mnumzane” was not even an elephant from the Kruger National Park. The animal actually belonged to the Thula Thula Private Game Reserve, where it was euthanised due to aggressive behaviour.

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