Pierre Rossouw sent this video of his close encounter to Latest Sightings. He filmed the incident on his dashcam while visiting South Africa’s Marakele National Park.
Driving slowly through the thick bush
When visitors enter South African national parks, they are required to follow specific regulations for their safety and that of the resident wildlife.
Key among these is to adhere to the speed limit, and that is exactly what Pierre was doing as he drove through Marakele.
As we join the action, we get a dashcam view as he makes his way down a dirt road, fringed on either side by dense vegetation.
His dashcam footage indicates that he was driving at less than 20 km/h, well within the 30 km/h speed limit. His low speed is commendable, especially as visibility is limited.
All clear ahead
As Pierre approached a junction in the road, he slowed down, his dashcam showing a speed of just 12 km/h. At this point, the road ahead looks clear, with no sign of the surprise waiting around the corner.
Nevertheless, Pierre’s adherence to the speed limit and cautious driving suggest he knows that when in the bush, it is better to be safe than sorry. And, it is just as well.
Came from nowhere!
As he prepares to make a left turn, we see a blur of movement, slightly obscured by the vegetation. This is followed by one of the most intimidating sights one can have on a game drive.
Seemingly unprovoked, except possibly by the sound of the approaching vehicle, an elephant bull is advancing at a rapid speed.
Brace for impact
Consequently, there is little Pierre can do but bring his vehicle to a standstill as the bull charges. Heading straight towards the car, the elephant seemingly has no intention of stopping
As we brace for impact, the elephant looms ever larger in the camera frame. With its ears flared to intimidate and tusks bearing down, it seems to be in the middle of a meltdown. Ominously, it makes no noise, as if this is an intentional ambush.
Contact!
With Pierre now stationary, the elephant seems to slow its advance before making contact. It’s almost as if it realised it was making a mistake.
Regardless, when a 5-ton elephant changes its mind midstride, it still takes a while to stop. As it comes to a stop, it appears that it drops its tusks onto the roof of Pierre’s vehicle. At this, we hear a loud crunch as his windscreen cracks.
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Calm under pressure
The bull then backs up, as if waiting for Pierre to make the next move. Amazingly, throughout the ordeal, Pierre doesn’t say a word, much less scream in terror. Either he is in shock or has nerves of steel.
Instead, he sensibly engages reverse gear and starts backing away from the stationary bull. To our relief, the bull doesn’t press home its attack.
Showing remarkable calm, puts a healthy amount of distance between himself and the elephant. Thankfully, the elephant does not chase him.
Eventually, Pierre finds a place to turn his vehicle around. One can only imagine that after his close call, he was all too happy to find another route.
Hormonal vs spooked
Male elephants periodically go into a state of heightened hormone levels called ‘musth’. During these phases, they can be aggressive and unpredictable. While this might be the case here, we see no physical evidence, such as streaming temporal glands or dripping urine.
As such, we can only speculate that the bull was spooked and acted in haste. Were it a full-blown attack, the outcome could’ve been catastrophic.
