Giraffe Crushes Movie Director To Death On Set

An award-winning director has died after a giraffe crushed his skull as he reportedly tried to get a close up of the animal. Carlos Carvalho, 47, was working on a feature film with Gerald the Giraffe when it suddenly swung its neck and headbutted him, sending him 16ft into the air.

The blow left him with devastating injuries and he was airlifted away from the safari park in Broederstroom, South Africa, on Wednesday.

But surgeons were unable to save him and he died in hospital.

Drikus Van Der Merwe, who was part of the filming crew, said he was stood next to Carlos when he was attacked.

‘He started chasing the boom swinger who joined our unit,’ he said.

‘The giraffe followed him but we didn’t feel threatened because he just seemed to be inquisitive.

‘We started shooting close ups of its body and its feet. Then while Carlos was looking through the camera eyepiece Gerald swung his neck and hit him against his head.

‘It came out of nowhere and Carlos didn’t even see it coming. He wasn’t aware of the danger.’

He added that Carlos’s body lay on the ground until medical help arrived.