www.youtube.com/watch?v=5fpc1pnKbuQ
Surely, surely, surely, when the elephant had initially moved out the way you would have booted it away from the scene rather than hang around??
Read elsewhere that elephant was put down after this which seems unfair, but that it was a male and packed full of elephant male testosterone which caused the attack.
I am sure BBD can get the link to why it picked on the Polo......
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And the car was in mint condition...
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Been in a similar position in the Kruger in a Mercedes . Road crossed over a dried up waterbed - winter so dry and no foliage - better to see wildlife. Having come this way on our way into the park -two days before - I knew the ground was very rough with a rock outcropping in the middle of the waterbed - ideal for smashing a sump.
Family in car, elephant in middle of the track. I did not dare go close (we had been chased in an open Land Rover a day previously by a mother elephant with calf) so stopped and waited. After about 10 (?) minutes, tried to go forward. Elephant not pleased and trumpeted. So stopped and switched off engine. After another 20 minutes, elephant decided to exit sideways and investigate a fallen tree nearby. Started engine up, gunned it and accelerated along track. Elephant trumpeted again - I thought "oh carp" and then we passed over the rocky outcrop, missed cracking sump.. and the elephant ran away. !
The driver should have reversed clear and waited. Invading an elephant's space - ie. within 20 meters is asking for trouble. Leaving the engine running asks for more trouble...
All you need is patience and some common sense.
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What do you mean by "put down"..They´ve killed an animal that is an endangered species already? For what? Making love to a polo?
Sometimes I really hate my species!!!!
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It was shot as the behaviour was deemed as unusual and they were unable to determine its cause and feared the action might be repeated.
A similar decision making process could be applied with advantage to some of the human trouble makers on our city streets on a saturday night.
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Stupid on part of driver.
I wonder what the insurance situation would be?
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>> What do you mean by "put down"..They´ve killed an animal that is an endangered species
>> already?
Are you sure they're endangered?
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WWF status is "vulnerable"
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Yes. They are easy to spot and their tusks are valuable. Those who can get away with it may well still be machine-gunning them from helicopters and landing to chop out the ivory, as the army did in Idi Amin's Uganda.
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bloke behind had the right idea. Thats why god invented zoom lenses.
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Giving bull elephants a very wide berth is a very wise move. Did a Kenyan safari a few years ago and our local driver did just that.
Apparently they resort to unpredictable behaviour when testosterone fueled. Bit like BBD I suppose :)
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I have looked for signs of musth in the film: cannot see it..
tinyurl.com/32y95p
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Been within 15 feet of one in the Kruger, in a coach. They are BIG. Driver just waited for it to pass, patience and don't do anything which may alarm or be taken as a threat.
Following it up the road was stupid.
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We were watching Elephants from a Landrover on a decent bit of road when our driver decided it was best out of the situation.
Just starting the engine was of course noticed by the elephant but our driver was an ace at driving backwards so we could turn and move out of the area.
The Landrover had high seats, a high CofG and of course no doors for us.
I have only once driven in a game park with significant herds of these big fellas and kept my distance.
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I hope their insurers take them to tusk.
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Were they properly briefed about African Elephants? If so then maybe they'd have cut and run in either direction.
OTOH you've only ever seen them before in the zoo (I've got pictures of my kids, pre teens, petting the elephants at Whipsnade) or the Indian species seen on telly as working beasts. You imagine them as gentle giants and behave, as the driver of car did, like you would for a bull highland cow on a road in the highlands or a pony in the New Forest.
Suddenly it turns on you an it's too late to get away.
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They had two or three opportunities to nip past the elephant and scarper down the road, and a lengthy period in which they could have reversed away, turned and scarpered. They were hanging about like idiots in the vicinity of a male African elephant in an iffy mood. Not prudent.
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>Were they properly briefed about African Elephants? If so then maybe they'd have cut and run in either direction.
I've been to a few game reserves in Africa and none of them have had mandatory briefings about the do's and don'ts. As far as I can remember though, all of them covered the safety aspects in the guide book that you get on entry and also covered how to avoid distressing the animals.
At the top of the list were "Don't get out of your car" and "Don't get too close".
Having said that, do you really think that people who need to be "properly briefed" about the dangers of annoying a 5 tonne wild elephant should be allowed out without supervision?
Last edited by: Kevin on Wed 15 Jan 14 at 22:18
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"do you really think that people who need to be "properly briefed" about the dangers of annoying a 5 tonne wild elephant"
If you ever visit I'll have to properly brief you about the dangers of annoying a 5 tonne wild mother-in-law.
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Elephants don't like Polos!! - Boxsterboy
