An angry elephant attacked a safari vehicle in the Pilanesberg National Park. Images: Video/YouTube/
iReport South Africa
Watch as an angry elephant bull recently attacked a safari vehicle in the Pilanesberg National Park. Here is the video.
An angry elephant attacked a safari vehicle in the Pilanesberg National Park. Images: Video/YouTube/
iReport South Africa
An angry elephant recently attacked a safari vehicle in the Pilanesberg National Park, and it was caught on camera.
The video quickly went viral after it was posted on social media and YouTube.
The video depicts a large, visibly angry elephant bull standing in the middle of the road.
The driver tries to scare the elephant off by banging on his vehicle, but the elephant bull charges straight to the vehicle, hitting it head-on and lifting it with his tusks.
It remains unclear when this incident occurred or if anyone sustained injuries.
According to SANParks, elephants are usually peaceful animals.
“Females may, however, be aggressive when young calves are present and bulls can be exceptionally aggressive during musth.
“All elephants may become aggressive when sick, injured or harassed.”
SANParks furthermore said elephants react to threats or challenges in three different ways.
“Dominance or threat displays are designed to demonstrate the superior strength and social position of the individual.
“They may look towards the threat, spreading their ears out. ‘Standing tall’, they raise their head and tusks high. You can also see head-shaking and trunk-swishing.”
It added that elephants may run at the threat in a demonstration or real charge.
“Most charges are mock charges which are broken off before the target is reached.
“However, if an attack is followed through, an elephant is quite capable of killing another elephant, other animals, including humans, or wrecking cars,”
SANPark said.
Defensive or submissive actions highlight an elephant’s fear or indecision.
SANPark also added that these actions include avoidance, agitated curling trunk movements, dust throwing, foot-swinging, and exaggerated feeding behaviour.
According to a report by StoneAgeMan, your best bet is to read the signals early and recognise if you see a mock or real charge. Here is what you do in each case.
“If an elephant does attack-charge you, it will use its tusks to gore you, throw you, and crush you. It will often keep stomping until you’re dead. Since elephants can plow down trees, flip cars, and run up to 40km an hour, you have little chance of outrunning them,”
the report said.
If you read the body language and believe it’s a mock charge, do the following:
If it’s not a mock charge, you’re in serious trouble. Here is what the StoneAgeMan advised you to do if an angry elephant attacks: