Lily Burgess, 23, has described the devastating final moments she shared with her father, Simon, 63, before he was killed by an elephant in Zambia in November 2020. Simon, originally from Bristol, had invited Lily, then 17, to join him on a trip to South Luangwa National Park, but she declined to focus on her studies.
On the morning of the trip, Simon came to Lily's bedroom to say goodbye and tried to hug her, but she turned him away, irritated at being woken from sleep. The next day, Lily's grandparents arrived unexpectedly and told her and her mother, Cherryl, 51, that there had been an incident.
A Tragic Goodbye
Simon, also father to Adam, 21, had been fatally attacked by an elephant. Lily, who now lives in East Yorkshire and works in a bar, told NeedtoKnow: "I was extremely close with my dad. He was my best friend and understood me better than anyone. The morning he left I was woken up by the sound of him grabbing things from the kitchen and remember being upset that I couldn't go with him. Once he had put everything in the car he came to my room to say goodbye."
"I remember everything so vividly. The door opened and he walked towards my bed and tried to give me a hug but I refused because, in my typical teenage way, I was being a massive grump and didn't want to be woken up fully, so I never said goodbye."
The Fatal Attack
Simon was killed by a charging elephant that trampled him and pierced his body with its tusk. He had been helping to set up a camp in the park when he and a group went to inspect a borehole supplying water to the site. The area was in peak calving season for elephants, and a large bull elephant emerged from behind a shrub and charged the group.
Lily said: "The rest of the group reacted as anyone else would and ran toward the camp. It was very much an every man for himself situation. Because Dad had a bad leg and was just getting over a bout of shingles, he couldn't run as fast as everyone else and he also ended up running in the complete opposite direction from the camp where the elephant got him."
Grief and Memory
His death certificate recorded blunt and penetrating injuries to the chest and blunt force trauma to the head. He died before he could be taken to hospital. Lily described the aftermath: "The days and weeks following his death are a bit of a blur. Tensions and emotions became quite high too as we all came to realise that dad was an enormously important piece of our family and in a lot of ways, held us all together."
Lily remembers Simon as her "best friend" who cherished his family, wildlife, fishing and the great outdoors. She said: "I miss so much about my dad. I miss his presence, being able to sit with him in silence. I miss his smile, his 20-second hugs he made me do with him every morning because he'd seen something online that said it boosts serotonin, the smell of his pipe tobacco, and the smell of his cologne."
