yego.me
💡 Stop wasting time. Read Youtube instead of watch. Download Chrome Extension

Watch: Elephant Attack From a Survivor’s POV | National Geographic


2m read
·Nov 11, 2024

After the last group of elephants had crossed the glade, the final elephant turned and began to ram towards us, ears flapping and trumpeting. This is usually a sign of a bluff charge from about 150 m away. Very unusual behavior. We started backing away, which is usually enough to show a displaying elephant that we've got the point.

Slowly at first and then faster as it became apparent that he was not going to stop until we were all running for cover. Glancing over my shoulder, I could see he was gaining on us and that I would likely be the first one he reached. So, I turned to face him, still running backwards and rumbling to calm him down.

The impact did two things: it turned the camera off and it sent me into a high-speed backward roll, being kicked like a football. One kick hit my hand and turned the camera on again, but it knocked it out of my hand. The video caught a few frames of me under the elephant as it flew through the air, then landed in the grass.

The mean team Rangers fired three shots in the air, and the elephant immediately ran away. Amazingly, x-rays in the nearest hospital showed no broken bones. But while I was recuperating, we had time to consider why this elephant, who we named Carly the Courageous, had run 150 m from a position of safety to tackle a perceived threat.

It seems that the herd I was filming had previous experience of poacher attacks and had been unnerved by the charcoal workers the previous day. On the day of the charge, hearing the locals shouting apparently led them to think they were under attack, prompting Carly to risk his life charging what he mistakenly saw as a threat to the herd.

[Music]

[Applause]

Awesome! Uhoh! Let’s go!

More Articles

View All
Kevin O'Leary talks Mortgages and the Market
You’re listening to the Real Estate Talk Show with Simon Janini and Aaron McCoy on Talk Radio AM 640. Welcome back to the Real Estate Talk Show here on Talk Radio AM 640, your source for all things real estate. Now, it’s time for an interview with an exp…
A Little Sea Sick | Wicked Tuna
Like liver, like failing. Your liver failing. Did you puke? No, it’s not my stomach. We’ve been fishing hard for almost five straight weeks now, and I woke up this morning with an excruciating pain in my side. Um, it feels like when my appendix burst. I c…
15 Ways to Avoid Sounding Stupid
If you had to choose between saying a two-syllable word or a four-syllable word to sound smart, which one would you choose? It might sound counterintuitive, but choosing the four-syllable word will make you sound kinda dumb compared to choosing the two-sy…
Trying to Catch a Coyote | Live Free or Die
Cole Bert’s property taxes have spiked during his worst trapping season on record. A quail plantation looking to get rid of predatory coyotes is his chance to score some high-priced pelts. It’s a win-win situation because they get rid of their coyotes so …
Money: Humanity's Biggest Illusion
If I asked you the question, “What is man’s greatest invention?” what would your answer be? There’s a lot of options. Would it be fire because it gives us warmth, protection, and the ability to cook our meals? Or perhaps you would pick the wheel because i…
The source of life for the Okavango | National Geographic
The Okavango Delta is a biodiversity hotspot in the heart of one of Africa’s most important freshwater systems. Its pulse is maintained by a river structure that begins deep in the Angolan highlands, in an area locals call Lisima Iya Mwono, the source of …