Giraffe Limpopo Bakkies

Photo: YouTube

Watch: Bizarre footage shows Limpopo giraffe crashing into TWO bakkies

Is this a drunk giraffe or what? The usually-majestic creature was all over the place here, displaying some bizarre behaviour in Limpopo.

Giraffe Limpopo Bakkies

Photo: YouTube

It’s a good job this incident was caught on camera, because both of these motorists would have had a real nightmare explaining their ordeal to insurers. Dashcam footage, uploaded to YouTube on Saturday, captures the moment a giraffe at a reserve about 40 km from Louis Trichardt in Limpopo crashes into two separate bakkies.

Giraffe goes on the rampage in Limpopo

The incident happened last year, but only found its way online yesterday. Since then, it has been shared widely on social media. During a late-night drive through the reserve, the motorists spot a giraffe emerging from the darkness.

No sooner had they spotted the majestic creature, it was trampling on the front on the first bakkie. The giraffe stumbles over the car and falls on its back. He’s clearly dazed and confused, but decides to get back on his feet.

But, in another strange showing, the giraffe simply repeats the trick on the second vehicle, smashing into the windscreen and causing severe damage to the front of the motor. It’s understood that the steering wheel column was left completely detached, such was the force of the fall from this bewildered animal.

Giraffe smashes into bakkies at nature reserve

Limpopo motorists make the most of their lucky escape

Miraculously, no injuries have been reported, and the giraffe is also still roaming the reserve. The incident, which took place just before midnight, reveals the terror that was shared by both motorists, as a panicked voice shouts ‘reverse, reverse!’ at the beginning of the clip. By then, however, it was too late to avoid a catastrophe.

If you travel to this area in Limpopo, you can expect a very intimate, up-close experience with the wildlife… but a giraffe coming through your window is probably a little bit too far, even for the most avid nature lovers in South Africa.

Clarification and apology

This article has been updated on 30 November 2021. In the earlier version, we reported that the incident took place at the Leshiba Wild Reserve in Limpopo in September 2021. It has been brought to our attention that it did not take place at Leshiba Mountain Retreats as the GPS co-ordinates which appear on the YouTube video player attests to this as well as the fact that the incident took place a year before.

We are informed by Leshiba Mountain Retreats that they subscribe to the highest standards of nature conservation and protection and do not permit any game drives in private vehicles to take place on their property. 

The South African regrets the error and apologises unreservedly to Leshiba Mountain Retreats for any prejudice which it may have suffered as a result.