An American tourist has been stung to death by wasps in Uganda whilst tracking gorillas.
Gloria Miller, 65, was set upon by a large swarm which fatally stung her whilst she was walking with her husband Gary White, 74, and six other tourists.
Mr White is a retired Colonel at the US Army Medical Dept and may used his training to try and save his wife.
The other tourists escaped unharmed but were left in shock by the horrific attack at the Bwindi Impenetrable National Park in South West Uganda.
Gloria Miller, 65, (right) was set upon by a large swarm which fatally stung her whilst she was walking with her husband Gary White, 74, and six other tourists
Miller is understood to be from Edmonton, Oklahoma and is thought to have two daughters.
The group of tourists had reportedly set off from Kigali, Rwanda on Wednesday and crossed into Uganda where they spent the night before carrying on with their guide.
Kigezi Region police spokesperson Elly Matte confirmed Miller’s death happened at about 10:30 am on Thursday at Katonvi, Ruhija zone in Bwindi Impenetrable National Park.
Miller is understood to be from Edmonton, Oklahoma and is thought to have two daughters
Kigezi Region police spokesperson Elly Matte confirmed Miller’s death happened at about 10:30 am on Thursday at Katonvi, Ruhija zone in Bwindi Impenetrable National Park
According to the Xinhau news agency, Matte said: ‘They decided to go to the park and the victim was the one in front of the others with the park guides.
‘The wasps just attacked her at once in big numbers as the rest (of the tourists) escaped unhurt’.
Miller had remarried in 2009 to White, who spent decades in the Army working as a medic.
‘The wasps just attacked her at once in big numbers as the rest (of the tourists) escaped unhurt,’ said Elly Matte
Pictures posted on his Facebook page show him standing with one of his daughters as he was about to deploy on Operation Enduring Freedom, the Army’s name for the War on Terror after 9/11 which involved conflicts in Afghanistan and Iraq.
He has also served in Bolivia and worked as a vet in the Vietnam War, according to his Facebook pictures.
On his Facebook page he wrote: ‘I love People. I enjoy being with my family’.
Wasp and bee stings can be fatal because they cause a release of chemicals like histamine from the body’s cells and the tissue.
The body can go through an allergic reaction when the system overreacts and a severe version of this is anaphylaxis.
Those who are in anaphylactic shock see their blood pressure plummet, they get a rash and their tongue swells up, making it hard to breathe.
Wildlife experts advise that if a wasp approaches you should remain still but if you have to run, do so in a straight line and protect your head and your face as that is where you are most likely to be stung.
Miller’s death is the third in Uganda in the last two months: last month British national Mukesh Shukla, 60, died whilst climbing in Butanda Sub County in Kabale District
If you swat the wasps or bees away it will make them more aggressive. Do not try and ‘play dead’ as they will carry on stinging you. Waiting underwater will not work as they will just wait for you to come back up.
The World Heritage-listed Bwindi Impenetrable National Park is one of Uganda’s most popular tourist destinations and three day gorilla trekking tours cost around $1,700.
The 128 sq mile park has around 400 mountain gorillas which make up about half of the population in the world due to poaching.
Tourists have to obtain a permit to go trekking after gorillas and are usually accompanied with a guide.
Miller’s death is the third in Uganda in the last two months: last month British national Mukesh Shukla, 60, died whilst climbing in Butanda Sub County in Kabale District.
The same month, Tutin Jean Piere, 63, from France, collapsed and died during a gorilla trekking trip in the northern part of Bwindi National Park.