An Africa-based magazine this week shared an extraordinary image showing a large elephant draped over the hood and windshield of a Volkswagen Polo, seemingly poised to crush the car and its occupants.
“Two safari drivers were left shocked when a bull elephant stepped over the car and decided to scratch his belly itch,” Khakibush Magazine stated via Instagram, adding that the bizarre encounter was photographed by Armand Grobler in South Africa’s Pilanesberg National Park.
No other details were provided, but Grobler told FTW Outdoors that the dangerous encounter occurred in 2013 and was caused, in part, by the driver’s actions.
Grobler, now a guide, was asked to describe the turn of events that led to what became known as the “Elephant Itch” photograph.
“We were driving with a group studying animal behavior when we came across the Polo, which was reversing with the elephant walking in front of it,” Grobler recalled.
“One of the major things that you learn is never to reverse when an elephant is walking toward you. You either stop and let it walk past or you get out of the way completely. The elephant sort of finds it as a game if you keep on reversing, almost taunting it.”
https://www.instagram.com/p/DFhMG17KHtk/
Grobler said the elephant disappeared into the bush but the driver kept reversing, trying to keep pace with the pachyderm.
“The car was trying to keep up with the elephant, and eventually the elephant came out and at first put its tusks the roof and then the trunk, and then it walked around it with the front legs on the left-hand side and the hind legs on the right-hand side, and then it just crushed the Polo,” Grobler said.
“But it wasn’t trying to do damage. It looked like it was scratching an itch. The car, ironically, was the correct height for the itch, and therefore we named it the ‘Elephant Itch’ photograph.”
Grobler said the encounter lasted about 15 minutes. He did not say how badly the Polo was damaged.
