A woman was seriously injured by an elephant in the Shenzhen Safari Park while participating in an elephant show last week, the Daily Sunshine reported Sunday.
The woman, surnamed Sun, from northeast China's Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region, and her husband were on a honeymoon tour. The newlyweds visited the park July 18 and Sun was invited to join a show with two elephants.
A baby elephant was supposed to carry Sun on its back and walk under the belly of its mother, which was sitting on benches. However, when the baby elephant was just under the adult's belly with Sun on its back, the adult elephant suddenly got down from the benches and crushed Sun.
Sun was soon sent to a local hospital. The hospital confirmed July 21 that Sun was out of danger but was paralyzed from the waist down. The park said it immediately stopped the elephant show, which had been popular among visitors for 13 years.
The park said it would shoulder Sun's medical expenses and discuss further compensation with the newlyweds later.
(Shenzhen Daily July 25, 2006)