The video begins with an elephant approaching the safari vehicle. A man sits on the front seat, in front of the hood, while others are in the vehicle. The driver backs away from the elephant, who then begins to move faster. The man in the front clearly has some experience with wild animals. He makes gestures and bangs on the hood of the Jeep to try to scare the elephant away. The elephant isn’t so easily deterred, however.
Matching Speed
The elephant speeds up to stay with the vehicle. This is a large African elephant with two large tusks. It trumpets as it runs. Trumpeting can be a sign of aggression. The man in the front of the vehicle looks back to the others and the driver, making sure that they continue away from the elephant. He is the closest and is getting an up-close view of the angry elephant. The rest of the herd hangs back. They watch as the elephant goes after the vehicle but do not chase it themselves. There are calves in the herd, which may be why the elephant is so protective in the first place. One of the main reasons that wild animals charge or act aggressively is to protect their young and their territory. Any time you encounter animals in the wild, you should take care. But it is especially important when they have babies nearby. Eventually, the elephant decides that the vehicle is no longer a threat and slows down. This is after over a minute of charging. The people are clearly worried, and the driver has been driving backward to get away from the elephant during the entire encounter. Safari vehicles are rugged and able to go over rough terrain. But retreating from a charging elephant must still be something that no one wants to repeat anytime soon.
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