Several investigations have been launched in Kenya after a Spanish man posted videos on social media showing himself pouring beer down an elephant's trunk, an act that has sparked significant anger and a widespread backlash. The man was filmed within a wildlife reservation, specifically the Ol Jogi Conservancy in the central county of Laikipia, drinking a can of Tusker beer, a popular local brand, before offering the remainder to the elephant. The accompanying caption, "Just a tusker with a tusked friend," on one of his now-deleted Instagram clips, drew hundreds of critical comments, with some Kenyans calling for his deportation.

The footage was analyzed and authenticated by the BBC, which identified the location and a well-known bull elephant, pointing to Ol Jogi Conservancy as the site of the incident. A staff member at the privately owned sanctuary, identified only as Frank, expressed shock and condemnation, stating, "This should never have happened. We're a conservation and we can't allow that to happen. We don't even allow people to go near the elephants." He confirmed that the videos would be forwarded to "the relevant authorities." The Kenya Wildlife Service (KWS) also confirmed through its spokesperson, Paul Udoto, that it was probing the incident.

The man, who uses variations of "Skydive_Kenya" on his social media accounts and describes himself as an "adrenaline junkie" on TikTok, was also captured in other contentious videos. In one such clip shared on Instagram, he was seen feeding two elephants carrots before declaring, "We are on beer time." The elephant featured in the beer-pouring video, a large male with distinctive long tusks, one of which is damaged, is believed to be Bupa. Bupa is a well-known friendly male at Ol Jogi, rescued from an elephant cull in Zimbabwe in 1989 and brought to the conservancy at eight years old. Ol Jogi, home to approximately 500 elephants, prides itself on rehabilitating animal orphans and reintroducing them to the wild.

Beyond the Ol Jogi incident, the man had previously posted a video from the nearby Ol Pejeta Conservancy showing him feeding a rhino with carrots. Thige Njuguna from Ol Pejeta confirmed the rhino was from their reserve and stated, "He has also broken our rules because he was not supposed to touch the rhinos because they are not pets." Njuguna also clarified that Ol Pejeta is not home to elephants. Dr. Winnie Kiiru, a Kenyan biologist and elephant conservationist, criticized the tourist's actions as "unfortunate," emphasizing that such behaviour endangered both the man's life and the elephant's. She cautioned against social media posts that falsely imply safe close contact with wild elephants, noting that approximately 95% of Kenya's elephants are wild.

This incident is not isolated, coming barely a week after another viral footage showed tourists disrupting the annual wildebeest migration at Kenya's Maasai Mara. In that instance, visitors were seen exiting safari vehicles, crowding riverbanks, and inadvertently forcing wildebeests into crocodile-infested waters, igniting public outrage. In response to these escalating issues of tourist misconduct, Kenya's tourism and wildlife ministry has announced the implementation of stricter rules. These new directives mandate tour operators to rigorously enforce park regulations, ensuring visitors remain inside their vehicles except in designated areas. The ministry also committed to enhancing signage across wildlife parks and intensifying visitor education on safety protocols. The Maasai Mara wildebeest migration, a globally renowned wildlife spectacle, attracts thousands of tourists annually and is considered one of Kenya's most invaluable natural heritage assets.