by This family’s wildlife safari just got trunk-acated. Motorists in South Africa got a closer wildlife encounter than expected after an angry elephant flipped over their car with them inside, as seen in this ᴛᴇʀʀɪꜰʏɪɴɢ footage.
The incident occurred after a bull elephant ᴄʜᴀʀɢᴇᴅ a family of four — two kids and their parents — who were driving through iSimangaliso Wetland Park, KwaZulu-Nata province, Newsflash reported.
Dramatic video footage taken by the occupants of another vehicle show the elephant shoving a white Ford 4×4 SUV after it had flipped the vehicle over onto its roof. Images circulated on social media show that the windscreen was cracked, with dents to both sides of the vehicle.
The occupants – believed to be a husband, wife and their two children, aged eight and 10, from the coastal town of Mtunzini – were reported to be severely ᴛʀᴀᴜᴍᴀᴛɪsᴇᴅ, but not seriously ʜᴜʀᴛ. It is unclear why the elephant ᴀᴛᴛᴀᴄᴋᴇᴅ the car, but it is understood that an investigation will be launched by park officials.
A rescuer said: “They were absolutely ᴛᴇʀʀɪꜰɪᴇᴅ and extremely ᴛʀᴀᴜᴍᴀᴛɪsᴇᴅ by what happened and were in fear that the elephant would return and ᴀᴛᴛᴀᴄᴋ them again. It is very fortunate for all inside that the elephant did not pierce the side of the car with his tusks as that could have been certain ᴅᴇᴀᴛʜ for anyone sitting in their path.”
“It is thought the male elephant was in musth which means it has surging levels of his testosterone hormone which makes him sᴇxᴜᴀʟʟʏ hyperactive and very ᴀɢɢʀᴇssɪᴠᴇ. Unfortunately for this family the elephant took its temper on not having a female around to try and ᴍᴀᴛᴇ with out on their car.”
“The family were very shaken and a little ʙʀᴜɪsᴇᴅ but I think it will be a while before they take a drive through an elephant reserve on their travels again” she said.
This isn’t the first time an angry elephant has given a vehicle a ʙᴇᴀᴛ-ᴅᴏᴡɴ. In September, an elephant in India was filmed smashing a bus’s windshield with its tusks. The ᴀᴛᴛᴀᴄᴋ occurred in iSimangaliso Wetland Park, South Africa.
