An elephant has gored and trampled a man to death while he was taking selfies with it after it escaped from a conservation area with a rogue herd.

The incident took place at a resettlement area outside the city of Kwekwe in Midlands Province in central Zimbabwe after a small herd of elephants escaped from a conservation area.

The rogue herd of around seven elephants had been troubling villagers in surrounding areas for over a week, and was considered a danger by the local wildlife authority.

One elephant was killed by rangers after it attacked a man taking selfies with it and injured his friend.

In a separate incident shortly afterwards, rangers shot dead another member of the herd that was seen stampeding towards a residential area.

The Zimbabwe Parks and Wildlife Management Authority (ZimParks) said it was necessary to put down the two elephants as they were considered a danger to locals, adding that the rest of the herd was driven towards the Midlands Black Rhino Conservancy.

Meanwhile, the victim, killed while taking selfies with one of the elephants, was reportedly gored with a tusk and dragged along the ground for several metres before being trampled on.

His friend was also injured in the incident and is reportedly in a serious condition in hospital.

ZimParks spokesman Tinashe Farawo said: “There were two incidents, one was when our rangers had to take down an elephant after it trampled upon a man and injured another.

“The man is said to have been taking selfies with the jumbo when he was attacked.”

He added a second elephant was shot dead when it was seen heading towards an urban area, adding: “We had no option but to put it down.”

With regards to the rogue herd, Farawo said villagers should feel assured that the situation is now “under control”.