Giraffe victim, Carlos Carvalho 'didn't follow the rules', says lodge

Cinematographer Carlos Carvalho, who was killed by a giraffe this week, flouted filming rules.

This is according to Richard Brooker, an animal manager at Glen Afric Country Lodge in Hartbeespoort, north of Johannesburg, where the freak accident occurred on Wednesday. Brooker said Carvalho was shooting for the German movie Premium Nanny 2 when he got too close to a seven-year-old bull known as Gerald.

Brooker, whose family owns the business, said there was a similar incident recently when an animal wrangler took a tourist too close to Gerald. He said the tourist escaped with scratches.

"Carlos didn't follow the rules. We know, with every animal we work with, that there is a risk and if you step out of line you take the risk. You pay the price and this is what happened," said Brooker. "We sent a letter out on April 11 just to state the safety on how to deal with the animals and the need to be very careful."

Brooker said the incident happened after Gerald had been released from the set, which had been incident-free. He said Carvalho and the actors set out on a vehicle to shoot wide shots, but he got too close and footage from his camera could prove that.

The animal hit Carvalho with its head and he fell to the ground unconscious. He was airlifted to Netcare Milpark Hospital in Johannesburg, where he died.

"There is footage of his camera rolling and you can see him close to the giraffe where he shouldn't have been. He knows that; he has worked with us for nine years and he took a risk," said Brooker.

He said Gerald was doing well. The bull, said Brooker, grew up in a boma after a deal to export him failed and Glen Afric gave him a sanctuary.

Jan Bowden from the CallaCrew film company took to Facebook to say Carvalho would "be sorely missed".