Bongani Yende, an experienced safari guide, had taken his group out on a peaceful outing in Rathlogo Bird Hide in the Pilanesberg Game Reserve when a terrifying encounter with a bull elephant escalated into a life-threatening situation. Thankfully, one of his guests, Eldine Arendse, managed to capture the shocking moment on camera from inside Bongani’s vehicle.
Watch the incident:
Most of Bongani’s guests were in the hide/ parking area when he initially noticed the bull elephant making its way towards their group. Understanding elephant behaviour, Bongani realized the elephant was in musth, and knew the situation had the potential to become dangerous.
A Guide’s Brave Gamble
In a split-second decision, Bongani tried to ward off the elephant and get it away from his group by revving his engine and driving towards the elephant. While the goal was intimidation, the elephant seemed not to care as it stood its ground.
After a few attempts of Bongani advancing on the elephant, it had finally had enough. The elephant took the advancing vehicle as a challenge, and that’s when things took a dangerous turn.
The Elephant Strikes Back
The elephant started to advance on the vehicle as Bongani did all he could think of to ward the elephant off: screaming, slamming the car door and revving the engine again, but to no use. The elephant lodged its tusks into the bulbar of the truck and lifted it high into the air.
The terrified guests all managed to hold on as the elephant dropped the truck to the ground, but it wasn’t done just yet. The elephant picked the truck up a second time, dropping it to the ground yet again.
Bongani regained control of the vehicle and began backing away shouting “enough” at the elephant. Thankfully, it took the message and began moving away.
Understanding Elephant Musth
Musth is a condition that occurs periodically in male (bull) elephants and is characterized by a rise of aggressive behaviour and reproductive interest. These behavioural changes are caused by a surge of reproductive hormones and can make bull elephants especially dangerous.
Recognizing the signs of musth can be the difference between life and death. Signs that a bull elephant is in musk include, secretions from the temporal glands between their eyes and ears, the emission of low grumbling sounds or trumpeting noises, and aggressive behaviours such as rocking of the foot, shaking of the head, flapping of the ears and holding its tail stiffly out.
Avoiding Elephant Attacks
The best way to avoid becoming part of an elephant’s wrath is to stay calm and keep your distance. If you are on foot, try to take cover behind any large nearby obstacles.
If you are in a vehicle, do not leave the vehicle. If you have time to slowly and quietly back the vehicle away, this is often the safest option. Sometimes the sound of an engine can startle an elephant so it is always best to avoid turning a vehicle on if possible.
Elephants in musth and mother elephants are especially unpredictable, so try to give them an even greater distance and avoid provoking them.
Nature’s Warning Signs
With human populations expanding and elephants forced into closer contact with people, the likelihood of dangerous encounters increases. This incident serves as a reminder that elephants, like all wild animals, should be respected and approached with caution.
In the last seven years, over 200 people have been killed by elephants in Kenya. Unfortunately, elephants are often killed by humans in retaliation for their wild behaviour.
Understanding and educating others on the warning signs of aggressive behaviour is incredibly important to protect both people and animals as elephant populations continue to decline and instances of attacks increase.