Tag: Elephant

Watch: Stoic TV reporter reaches breaking point with nosy elephant

A TV reporter for the Kenya Broadcasting Corp. was reporting on orphaned elephants when one of the elephants prompted a burst of laughter.

A TV reporter for the Kenya Broadcasting Corporation was reporting on orphaned elephants when one of the elephants began playing with him from behind.

Alvin Kaunda, an intern, maintained a straight face as the elephant touched his shoulder with its trunk. He remained composed when the elephant’s trunk touched his ear. Even when the elephant put the end of its trunk on the top of his head, Kaunda didn’t miss a beat.

But when the elephant tickled Kaunda’s nose, covering it with the end of its trunk, the reporter reached his breaking point. He busted out laughing in a heartwarming video that, even through the laughter, brings attention to the plight of orphaned elephants.

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Kaunda was featuring the Sheldrick Wildlife Trust, which cares for orphaned elephants and supports their journey back into the wild.

“I wanted a very nice background with the elephants,” Kaunda told Ghetto Radio Nairobi. “I’d kept my distance, but I was so focused and didn’t even realize they were getting close.

“I felt the ticklish trunk but just tried to keep my cool. It actually didn’t have any smell. I’m sure if it had a foul smell, it would have really distracted me. It wasn’t normal, but I liked the experience.”

So did viewers.

“So SWEET!!! Great work Alvin. Serious message and endearing performance!” one wrote on the Instagram page of the Sheldrick Wildlife Trust.

“He held it together for so long,” said another.

“This is the best video I have ever seen,” said yet another.

Also on FTW Outdoors: Man threatened by elephant flees car in ‘hilarious sighting’ (video)

The incident occurred Friday as Kaunda was doing a PTC, or a “piece to camera,” when a TV presenter speaks directly to the viewing audience through the camera.

He told Kenyans.co.ke, “I remained calm. I knew there was no reason to panic. They were baby elephants.”

But you never know what a baby elephant might do.

“Everyone wants to be the star!” Sheldrick Wildlife Trust wrote on Instagram. “Kindani was so inspired by Alvin’s performance that she decided to steal her own moment in the spotlight.

“Props to @alvinkaunda’s professionalism amidst a tangle of trunks.”

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Watch: Man threatened by elephant flees car in ‘hilarious sighting’

Tourists on safari experienced shock before bursting with laughter after a man does the unthinkable and runs from his car into the bush.

The Melville family from the U.K. were on safari in Hluhluwe-iMfolozi Park in South Africa when it witnessed a “hilarious sighting,” as LatestSightings.com put it.

As the tourists drove along a road, a white Toyota passed them by in a hurry and rounded a corner out of their sight.

Moments later, they came upon the sight of a massive bull elephant strutting along the road toward the Toyota, which by then was parked at the side of the road.

“The elephant approached the tiny white Toyota, and we all held our breath, expecting the elephant to damage this vehicle in some way,” Byron Melville, 24, told LatestSightings.com.

“Suddenly, the passenger door flings open, and out comes a man running. [Our] vehicle was filled with shock, and shortly after, bursts of laughter broke out. At this point, we could not believe our eyes.”

Of course, they caught the moment on video.

“No, don’t get out,” someone said.

“There could be a lion” in the bush, another said.

LatestSightings.com stated that humans have three reactions to fear: Fight, flight or freeze. “Clearly, the gentleman chose flight as his preferred method of handling the situation.”

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Eventually, the Melville family focused back on the elephant.

“We turned to the elephant and were unsure who was more surprised—the elephant or the man,” Byron said. “The elephant displayed signs of shock and confusion as to what had just transpired. Eventually, the elephant decided it may be best for him to move off.

“After what felt like a lifetime, the running man appeared out of nowhere, got back into his vehicle, and was on his way again. Perhaps his bizarre decision saved his life and his vehicle.”

That, we will never know.

Fortunately, the elephant moved on from the Melville family, too.

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Watch: Courageous baby elephant charges safari vehicle

A baby elephant was caught on video recently charging a safari vehicle in South Africa’s Kruger National Park

A baby elephant in South Africa’s Kruger National Park apparently has a low tolerance of tourists in shiny safari vehicles.

The accompanying footage, shared Friday by Wildest Kruger Sightings, shows the young elephant gathering courage to charge the vehicle in a show of bravado typically reserved for larger elephants.

No contact was made during the half-hearted charge. But the charge, and the obvious concern among the larger elephants, persuaded the driver of the vehicle to pull forward.

Wildest Kruger Sightings did not provide video credit or the date of this interaction.

Kruger National Park, located in northeastern South Africa, spans nearly 5 million acres and is one of the largest game reserves on the African continent.

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Watch: Elephant charges safari bus in harrowing close encounter

Tourists on a safari bus in India will not soon forget their recent encounter with a wild elephant that charged the bus head-on, forcing the driver to flee in reverse.

Tourists on a safari bus in India will not soon forget their recent encounter with a wild elephant that charged the bus head-on, forcing the driver to flee in reverse.

The accompanying footage, shared Sunday by Surender Mehra of the Indian Forest Service, shows the elephant closing to within feet of the bus as the crew yells and frightened passengers scream.

Fortunately, the elephant pauses without making contact and veers into the trees.

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Mehra, an officer with the IFS, wrote on Twitter: “Always be cautious and keep a safe distance from wild animals, especially in elephant area. Even if you are in a close vehicle.”

Mehra did not state who captured the footage.

Injured elephant gets prosthetic brace, becomes ‘fashionista’

An elephant in Thailand has been fitted with a prosthetic brace to make her more comfortable in her new “forever home” at a rescue and rehabilitation facility.

An elephant in Thailand has been fitted with a prosthetic brace to make her more comfortable in her new “forever home” at a rescue and rehabilitation facility.

Elephant Nature Park on Saturday shared the accompanying photos of Mae Mai, the 31-year-old elephant, sporting a pink-and-purple brace constructed by Derrick Campana and his team at Bionic Pets.

The brace was fitted late last week. An Elephant Nature Park spokeswoman told ForTheWin Outdoors that Mae Mai is still adjusting while “walking slowly but with more confidence.”

Mae Mai being fitted with a brace. Photo: Elephant Nature Park

In a Saturday Facebook post, the facility thanked Campana and the Gentle Giant Stay Home Project, and other supporters who are helping to ensure a comfortable existence for Mae Mai.

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Mae Mai is a former overworked logging elephant. After she suffered a broken hind leg, she became emaciated and fell into ill heath at a camp that was unable to provide her with adequate care.

Photo: Elephant Nature Park

In January 2021, she was walked from the camp along a river to Elephant Nature Park, where she was treated by veterinarians. She walked because she was too weak to step onto a truck (see photo below).

Mae Mai’s condition steadily improved and it wasn’t long before she began “to eat everything in front of her as if she never had food before,” the facility states on its website.

An injured and emaciated Mae Mai before arriving at Elephant Nature Park

Now a permanent resident, and outfitted with the brace, Mae Mai is said to be walking free of pain.

“Look at how much better she looks now – and has become a bit of a fashionista, too, because of her leg brace,” reads one of dozens of comments beneath the Facebook post.

The Virginia-based Bionic Pets designs and constructs prosthetic devices and artificial limbs for animals large and small.

Watch: Critters scatter as furious lion reclaims prize

Rare footage out of South Africa reveals the remarkable ability of lions – as kings of the jungle – to emphatically clear animals from a desired area.

Rare footage out of South Africa reveals the remarkable ability of lions – as kings of the jungle – to emphatically clear animals from a desired area.

The footage, captured by Rushada Schutte at Timbavati Game Reserve, shows more than a dozen vultures and hyenas feasting on an elephant carcass that had briefly been abandoned by a male lion.

“Our resident male lion went for some water by the river causing all the hyenas and vultures to descend onto the carcass,” Schutte, a field guide at Timbavati, described via social media. “But he could not have made a better entrance upon his return.”

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A post shared by Rushada (@rushadaschutte11)

Schutte told ForTheWin Outdoors that the “crazy sighting’ occurred in early March. She explained that the lion has been nursing a leg injury, noticeable in the footage, for months.

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Schutte said the injury, perhaps sustained in a fight with another lion, has diminished the lion’s chances of surviving. “So this elephant carcass was a saving grace,” Schutte added.

The lion had been feasting on the carcass for a few days before Schutte captured her footage, which shows that the large cat still possesses plenty of fury and determination.

–Lion image courtesy of Wikimedia Commons

Watch: Elephant tries to hide food from approaching elephant

Video footage shows an elephant at the Cambodia Wildlife Sanctuary, Kaavan, trying unsuccessfully to hide his breakfast from an approaching elephant.

It seems that elephants at the Cambodia Wildlife Sanctuary are keenly aware of each other’s habits.

The accompanying footage shows an elephant, Sarai Mia, following sanctuary employees down a path, toward where another elephant, Kaavan, is eating through open slats in a fence.

So much for a leisurely breakfast.

In describing the footage the sanctuary wrote on Facebook: “Sarai Mia is like a friend that will come for a visit, then eat all your chips! Kaavan upon hearing her coming will try to hide his breakfast from her, fearing she will eat it all!”

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As viewers can see, Kaavan uses his trunk to pull much of the food to his side of the fence, but Sarai Mia casually appropriates a hearty share.

Reads one of more than 200 comments: “I love this, it made me laugh. Kaavan had to be so quick to rescue his food!”

Watch: Baby elephant’s charge cuter than it is ferocious

An adult bull elephant’s charge can strike terror into the targets of such behavior. But that of a baby elephant?

An adult bull elephant’s charge can strike terror into the targets of such behavior.

But when a baby elephant charges, it’s perhaps more amusing than it is harrowing.

The accompanying footage, captured recently at Kenya’s Samburu National Reserve, shows a spirited elephant calf rushing a vehicle full of tourists. (The charge occurs at 20 seconds.)

“This little bull captured my heart,” Elephant Stories with Fiona, which shared the footage, wrote on Facebook. “He decided it was time to charge…. It’s hard to imagine this little elephant growing up to be 6 tons.”

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Viewers will note that while the elephant stops well short of the passing vehicle, its occupants are concerned enough to place their arms inside the open windows.

“He is just one of the reasons we all need to be involved and care for the preservation and support conservation efforts to help these incredible animals,” Elephant Stories with Fiona continued. “African or Asian, elephants are a keystone species and this planet needs them.”

The Samburu National Reserve is located alongside the Ewaso Ng’iro river, across from Buffalo Springs National Reserve.

–Image courtesy of Elephant Stories with Fiona

 

Watch: Elephant nearly flips safari vehicle in harrowing encounter

Safari instructors and trainees at a South African wildlife reserve are fortunate to be alive and uninjured after a harrowing run-in with an elephant that almost flipped their vehicle.

Safari instructors and trainees at a South African wildlife reserve are fortunate to be alive and uninjured after a harrowing run-in with a bull elephant that nearly flipped their vehicle.

The accompanying footage, captured Sunday at Selati Game Reserve, shows a bull elephant bluff-charging the safari truck, then partially lifting and turning the vehicle, spilling at least one occupant.

An instructor repeatedly yells, “Get out!” The other occupants quickly exit and scamper toward safer ground as the elephant pauses as if it has issued a sufficient warning.

The footage was being widely shared and on Monday the company involved in the incident, EcoTraining, issued a news release describing what happened:

“On a routine activity, the EcoTraining instructors and trainees came across a breeding herd of elephants. The vehicle stopped to observe the elephants and give them a chance to settle down. An elephant bull, who was with the breeding herd, mock-charged the vehicle.

“The elephant bull mock-charged again, when they moved forward slowly, and then made contact with the vehicle and displaced it off the road. Once the vehicle had come to a standstill, the trainees were moved to the second vehicle that was parked in close proximity.”

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EcoTraining quoted Bryan Havemann, general manager of Selati Game Reserve, as saying the vehicle had been damaged but “none of the people on the vehicle were injured.”

EcoTraining added that bull elephants in musth during their breeding season “experience high levels of testosterone and may display aggressive behavior.”

Suspected poacher likely killed by elephant in South African reserve

A suspected poacher appears to have been killed by an elephant in South Africa’s vast Kruger National Park.

A suspected poacher appears to have been killed by an elephant in South Africa’s vast Kruger National Park.

The park announced via Twitter that the body of the suspect was discovered Thursday in the Stolznek district as a result of an “intelligence-driven” search.

“Initial investigations suspect that the deceased was killed by an elephant and left behind by his accomplices,” Kruger National Park stated. The park added that no animals had been killed in the area and that poaching of elephants for their ivory tusks will not be tolerated.

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“Criminals stand to lose their lives and freedom,” the park warned.

African elephants can weigh up to seven tons; their tusks can weigh more than 150 pounds apiece. The pachyderms are highly intelligent and this would not be the first instance of an elephant killing or injuring a poacher.

Kruger National Park, which spans more than 7,500 square miles, is home to more than 140 species of large mammals, including tusked elephants and rhinoceroses.