Terrifying video footage captures the moment an elephant charged at and sent passengers scrambling for their lives in South Africa’s Selati Game Reserve.
On Sunday, a trainee guide was being driven throughout the game reserve, which is located near Kruger National Park’s border, when a bull elephant emerged from the bushes and ran straight for their vehicle.
The video taken by EcoTraining shows how the 13-foot elephant overturned the vehicle. “Get out, get out, get out,” a safari vehicle guide behind the jeep being attacked is heard shouting as novice guides ran away from the hostile elephant.
During a regular tour on Sunday, EcoTraining’s trainers and trainees discovered a breeding herd of elephants.
A bull elephant was in musth, a sexually aggressive condition that occurs during the mating season in male elephants.
Male elephants in musth are notorious for getting violent and hostile towards humans and other elephants.
“The jeep was damaged, but thankfully no one on the car was in.ju.red,” said Selati Game Reserve General Manager Bryan Havemann.
All people involved in the incident received professional counseling afterwards.
The video has gone viral on social media, accumulating thousands of views on Twitter and Facebook. Watch it below:
Too much intrusion will take your life in Wilderness. However, wild animals keeps on forgiving us since long.#responsible_tourism specially wildlife tourism should be educational rather recreational.
हांथी के इतना घुसा नही जाता 🙏 watch second video too pic.twitter.com/AOKGZ2BAjB— WildLense® Eco Foundation 🇮🇳 (@WildLense_India) November 30, 2021
Noble giant left them unharmed pic.twitter.com/DAk7yO0LU2
— WildLense® Eco Foundation 🇮🇳 (@WildLense_India) November 30, 2021