This group of tourists on a canoe safari certainly had a close call when an elephant unexpectedly charged at them. The enormous beast capsized their craft, crushing one person against the rocks, who miraculously survived without injury. The tragedy occurred only 30 minutes after the tourists had landed. Weighing up to 10,000 pounds, the enormous elephant was, it seems, protecting its juveniles from humans.
The tourists were paddling down a peaceful river when the jokester elephant started acting up. Jeff Melvin, one of the visitors, remembered the seconds before the charge.
“We kept telling that they were kind of getting a little annoyed at our presence,” – Jeff Melvin.
Within moments, the situation escalated dramatically. The elephant, noticing that the tourists were too close to his babies, charged them unexpectedly. Unfortunately, the canoe tipped, throwing the tourists into the water.
“And then just in the blink of an eye, things kind of changed,” – Jeff Melvin.
Larry Unrein, another member of the party, was able to catch their lucky escape on tape. He wrote later that they did not know the mother elephant was close by. Their wake-up call came too late, with the loss of her and her two calves.
“What we did not see was the mom with the two babies,” – Larry Unrein.
The fallout from the incident had one tourist trampled but alive. Experts warn of the obvious peril in trying to get close to elephants — and particularly mothers with baby calves.
“There is nothing more lethal on the planet than an angry elephant cow with little calves,” warned wildlife specialist Magill. “They’re incredibly protective. I want them to know that I think it’s pretty cool that people understand you’ve got to give distance. You need to give animals distance.
Not until he understood that he’d made it through the encounter did Unrein succumb to a wave of relief.
“The first thought that came to my mind was, ‘This is the end of me,’” – Jeff Melvin.
The incident highlights the importance of maintaining a safe distance from wildlife, especially in regions where human interaction can provoke defensive behaviors among animals. Tourists need to do a better job of staying within the clearly marked boundaries to prevent these kinds of deadly encounters from happening again.
“I thought for sure I was dead. And then once I was safe, it was just jubilation. I was very happy to be alive,” – Larry Unrein.
The incident highlights the importance of maintaining a safe distance from wildlife, especially in regions where human interaction can provoke defensive behaviors among animals. Tourists are encouraged to respect wildlife boundaries to avoid such dangerous encounters in the future.
