Gerald the giraffe brutally killed film-maker with horrifying headbutt

Daily Mirror

03-06-2025

Carlos Carvalho, 47, was tragically killed after being hit by a giraffe while filming at a safari lodge in South Africa, with a colleague saying the attack came 'out of nowhere'
In a tragic turn of events, an award-winning 47 year old film director was fatally injured by a single headbutt from a giraffe while on location at a South African safari lodge.
During the shoot, as Carlos Carvalho attempted to get close-up footage of Gerald the giraffe, the animal unexpectedly lashed out with its neck, catapulting the director through the air and onto the ground.
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Carvalho tragically passed away from his injuries that night after being flown to a Johannesburg hospital, as reported by CallaCrew, a film agency. The incident occurred at Glen Afric farm in Broederstroom, a site famed for featuring in the British series Wild at Heart.
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Richard Brooker, whose family owns the lodge, insisted that Gerald, the male giraffe involved, would not face euthanasia since he wasn't considered a threat.
"When Carlos was standing in front of the giraffe, the animal spread its legs, bent its neck and swung its head at Carlos," said Brooker. "Gerald will remain at the lodge. He did nothing wrong," he told The Telegraph, reports the Irish Star.
A Glen Afric spokesperson implied that Carlos had ignored safety protocols by moving away from the group and getting too close to the animals.
Drikus Van Der Merwe, who was present during the May 2, 2018 incident, recounted: "The giraffe started chasing the boom swinger who joined our unit."
He recounted to the Sun: "We didn't feel threatened because he just seemed to be inquisitive."
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Nonetheless, the situation took a grave turn in an instant, culminating in the tragic death of the filmmaker mere hours later.
"We started shooting closeups 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.
Even after witnessing such an intense and frightening set of events, Drikus optimistically believed that Carlos would pull through, not foreseeing the grievous outcome. He admitted: "I knew he had a severe head trauma. But I never thought he would die."
Carlos had earned acclaim for his craft, winning a Cannes Lion award in 2003 for a South African Childline public service announcement, and served as director of photography on 'The Forgotten Kingdom', the pioneering feature film made in Lesotho.
Emotional tributes poured in on Facebook for the Johannesburg father-of-two, with heartfelt remembrances hailing him as a "wonderful human being". His colleague Chris Roland lamented: "Deeply saddened to hear about the passing of Carlos Carvalho, a very nice guy and talented DOP [director of photography] I had the honour of working with twice. A great loss to the industry. Farewell Carlos!".
Props master Thabiso Mohapi also expressed his grief: "RIP my brother! Meeting and greeting you that morning at breakfast shooting the first scenes of the morning didn't know it was our last time together."