A recent clip captured the moment a massive and aggressive elephant charged at a vehicle carrying numerous tourists in a nature reserve, leaving onlookers in shock.
This heart-stopping situation occurred at the Pilanesberg Nature Reserve (South Africa), when a large male elephant unexpectedly charged at a vehicle filled with tourists, attacking it.
On the morning of the incident, Bongani Yende, a tour guide and driver, had taken tourists to a bird-watching area within the reserve. While the tourists had exited the vehicle for a stroll, Yende spotted a large male elephant approaching the parking area of the observation site.
With his extensive experience with wildlife, Yende recognized that this was a male elephant in musth.
Musth is a phase during which male elephants become extremely aggressive due to heightened mating urges. Realizing the situation was becoming dangerous, Yende quickly called some tourists back to the vehicle while many others remained in the observation area.
The moment the aggressive elephant charges and attacks the vehicle carrying tourists (Video: Kruger).
With little time to wait for the remaining tourists to return, Yende decided he needed to lure the elephant away from the observation area to ensure the safety of the tourists. He took the bold action of accelerating the vehicle straight towards the elephant, hoping it would be frightened and retreat.
However, the male elephant was not intimidated; instead, Yende’s actions seemed to provoke it further.
Each time Yende drove the vehicle towards the elephant, it would stand still, but then it would move closer to the vehicle with the intent to attack. At this point, Yende was continuously shouting loudly, waving his arms, and banging on the car door, trying to do anything to scare the elephant away.
Unfortunately, the elephant interpreted this as a challenge and charged directly at the vehicle. It used its tusks and head to lift the vehicle effortlessly into the air.
Tourists inside the vehicle expressed their terror, lying flat on the floor in hopes that the elephant wouldn’t see them.
After lifting the vehicle high, the elephant dropped it, causing those inside to be tossed around. Nevertheless, Yende remained as calm as possible and continued to look for ways to drive the elephant away.
Bongani Yende calmly faces the aggressive elephant. (Screenshot from the clip).
Eventually, after tossing the vehicle multiple times, the elephant seemed to lose interest in its “game” and wandered off. At this point, Yende and the tourists in the vehicle finally breathed a sigh of relief.
Eldine Arendse, a tourist in the vehicle, stated that he was in shock when the incident occurred and it took him some time to “regain his composure” and believe that he was still alive.
Fortunately, the elephant merely lifted the vehicle and then left, rather than overturning it and attacking the tourists. If that had happened, the consequences would certainly have been much more severe.
Another clip taken by Hendry Blom, a tourist standing near the parking area during the incident, shows the aggressive elephant charging towards the tourist vehicle. Hendry noted that even from a distance, he could see how massive the elephant was and that it could easily overturn or even crush the vehicle if it wanted to.
“Many people witnessed the terrifying scene unfold right before our eyes. We heard screaming and feared that those in the vehicle would be injured. No one thought that everyone could escape such a dangerous situation unscathed,” Hendry shared.
After the elephant left, Bongani Yende immediately called the tourists back into the vehicle to move to another location, in case the elephant returned.
Yende’s decisive and brave actions have been praised by many, as he risked his life to ensure the safety of the tourists.
