Lucky no one got hurt....wow!

[sandman0921]

http://www.rte.ie/news/2015/0907/726238-zimbabwe-elephant/

Another incident of a habituated animal that could have stomped these photo-tourists into the ground similar to the lion incident....glad it turned out OK.

 

[vinnymbogo]

You said it first: Wow!

 

[Witold Krzyżanowski]

Wow..
They had a lot of luck.
Witold

 

[BRICKBURN]

They are just pets right?!

Fortunate the first guy was not punctured like a pin cushion.
No clue....

 

[Royal27]

When I was in Zim one of the PHs in camp said that he thought a "tame" African Elephant was the most dangerous animal on the planet. Sounded like he'd seen similar happenings a number of times...

 

[ActionBob]

Habituated large wild animal + stupid tourists = real potential for disaster

 

[James.Grage]

The tourist were trying to get their picture with the elephant in the back ground for a good story back home... The two guys are lucky they were not killed or hospitalized.

 

[edward]

the elephant knew these were anti hunters and wanted to see if they would turn the other cheek,ha.

 

[ActionBob]

That elephant tossed those guys aside like tossing a cat out of your favorite chair! I do appreciate the entertainment.... but glad no one was hurt.. Wonder if management at that lodge got the message to keep the tourists safe from their own stupidity?

 

[Royal27]

Wonder if management at that lodge got the message to keep the tourists safe from their own stupidity?

Bet the answer to this is that they didn't.

 

[sandman0921]

Wonder if management at that lodge got the message to keep the tourists safe from their own stupidity?

You know I wondered the same thing. I'm not sure what the liability / lawsuit environment is like in Zimbabwe, but I can't imagine the owner's were too happy........unless they encouraged that kind of behavior. Either way, those guys were lucky. On top of not making the elephant leave, they were feeding the elephant to encourage it to come further in like it was some deer in the backyard.

I'm sure that elephant was acting no different than the big bully in the school yard..........."Hey you little piss-ants, give me some more peanuts or else........"

 

[Royal27]

n top of not making the elephant leave, they were feeding the elephant to encourage it to come further in like it was some deer in the backyard.

The instances I mentioned earlier in the thread all happened at "dining areas" at Mana Pools. Don't know that they were at this same specific location, but the elephants were definitely encouraged to come close to the guests.

 

[ActionBob]

Idiots.. You just can't fix stupid!

 

[S.W. Smith]

The elephant literally lifted that guy out of his chair like he was a play toy. Play stupid games, win stupid prizes.

 

[slad68]

What a bunch of idiots. Sitting there hoping the Elephant would come and pat them.
This Elephant should have been chased of long before he came that close.
Just another example of how stupid and ignorant people can be.

On the other hand, if the Elephant had killed someone it probably would have been put down by park rangers just because people were stupid.

IMO this was a lack of respect.

 

[tarbe]

+1 to all the above.

Those idiots almost got this "tame" elephant killed.

 

[Lrntolive]

It is unfortunate that the basic laws of nature, natural selection, no longer apply to humans because that group of people should not be spreading their genes. It is not a petting zoo.