Kruger Park, South Africa. We stopped at the side of the road and tried to spot animals while we turned off the car engine. We saw an elephant in the distance 🐘 and he slowly came towards us through the tall grass. At one point he came very close to us and his body language was suddenly aggressive. My instincts kicked in as I suddenly got the feeling that he could attack us at any moment.
While I continued filming with my left hand, I started the car and immediately put it in reverse with my right hand. We slowly rolled away from him.
I've kept the original sound in the video so you can hear the elephant roaring and us talking nervously in the background. You can view the unfiltered images below in high (4k) quality - just manually set it to the highest quality!
Shortly after the collision with the injured elephant, we informed a ranger about what we saw. When he saw the video, it became clear to him that this elephant was in big trouble. He looks seriously weakened and his torso is absolutely necessary for survival. With deep cuts and even a large hole in his trunk, he cannot eat or drink properly. The elephant most likely died shortly after we shot this video 😢
Although it is sad to see this, this is nature. The elephant was most likely attacked by lions or may have damaged its trunk on a tree, barbed wire or fence. Even if rangers saw the elephant like this, they would most likely not save it. Other animals will eat the elephant when it dies so that they can survive.
With TUI's flexible and individual South Africa tours, the work is taken out of your hands and the best travel routes are already mapped out for you.
Who will you discover this beautiful country with to spot the Big 5 up close?
- Unique experience
- Admire 'The Big 5' up close
- Panoramic routes
- Many flexible options
