Watch: Dramatic escape as massive elephant closes in on Kruger game drive
A safari outing turned into a tense wildlife encounter when a massive elephant suddenly closed in on a game drive vehicle, sparking a split-second escape that has since gone viral.
What was meant to be a relaxed afternoon game drive in the Kruger National Park turned into a close encounter with two bull elephants.
During the incident, Alex Willers, a guide working for Africarp, a tour operating company specialising in fishing adventures, recorded the moment. The clip has since gone viral, reaching thousands of viewers over the weekend and becoming one of the most talked-about videos.
“It was a nail-biting experience,” recalls Eugene Kruger, owner of Africarp, speaking on Monday morning (June 15), just days after one of the elephants, with tusks measuring between 1.5 and 2.5m, came dangerously close to his ribs, leaving him with only minor bruises.
“He first went for me, his trunk touching my feet while his tusk went for my ribs. It tore my shirt and almost drilled through my ribs. I don’t think he saw us as a threat, but he is so big he could have killed us without even intending to do so. Luckily, I thought quickly on my feet and threw my body out of his way,” says Kruger.
A group of Spanish and Italian tourists were on one of Kruger’s fishing tours in Hoedspruit, and they wanted to end the tour with a sunset drive in the Kruger National Park.
“We were 10 people, including the driver, when we stopped to watch an elephant bull playing in the bushes. A few minutes later, another elephant bull came towards us. Usually, elephants move slowly and peacefully, but this one was on a mission. He walked fast, his trunk up in the air.”
‘One Italian off’
Kruger recounts that they had wanted to move out of the elephant’s way, but for some reason the vehicle would not start – and then the animal was already too close. The group was thus told to keep quiet and sit still.
However, it seems the elephant proved too much for an Italian passenger’s sense of adventure, and he jumped from the vehicle.
In the video, a woman can be heard shouting: “One Italian off.”
“Everyone was calm, but when his tusks and trunk came too close for comfort, one of the Italians decided he wanted to live to tell the tale and jumped off and ran. Now we can laugh about it, but in that moment, we were not relaxed; just full of nervous energy,” Kruger says.
A short while later, the other occupants also scrambled off the vehicle when the elephant did not move away.
“Elephants usually do not attack people, but I think our energy may have drawn him closer to us. For the Italians and Spaniards, it was an adventure to remember. I think they will be telling a lot of stories back home.”
Watch the video:
@eugene.kruger We had a close call with a massive Elephant in the Kruger with Samir & Claire. Crazy adventure with so many crazy moments #adventure #carpfishing #elephant #krugernationalpark @Arrie @Alex Willers 🇬🇷🇮🇹