Zimbabwe is to cull its elephant population after a British mother and daughter were trampled to death.

Veronica Parker, 47, and her daughter, Charlotte, 10, were killed by a bull elephant at the Hwange National Park on Saturday. Her husband was injured and is believed to have escaped by crawling to safety. Their guide was injured after firing a warning shot towards the elephant as it charged.

The Parkers, who were staying at the £140-a-night Hide Safari Camp, were expatriates who planned to return home after living in South Africa. They were watching the elephant from behind an anthill when it charged. The camp owners said that it was exceptionally aggressive and agitated because it was in musk, its mating condition.

According to official Zimbabwe figures, elephants trampled 12 people to death in 2005, including villagers trying to protect their crops.

The state media reported that the country’s elephant population had risen above 100,000, more than twice the 45,000 that it could sustain.

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