Watch: Elephant slurps sundowner from safari vehicle in KNP
A female elephant swallowed a can of beer during a search in a safari vehicle.
A trip in the Greater Kruger took a dangerous turn when a safari vehicle carrying several guests, including Italian tourists, broke down near two curious elephants.
The bull and cow approached the stranded vehicle, investigating the passengers, their belongings and even their safari sundowners.
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Alex Willers, who filmed the close encounter, explained what happened.
“While we waited for the car to start, two elephants approached us from both sides, which made it difficult to move,” he said.
He explained that the female elephant started moving her tusks and trunk inside the vehicle and even swallowed a beer can.
“She poked a hole through one of the tourists’ shirts and pushed him off the vehicle,” he added. The man landed beneath the female elephant but quickly climbed back onto the vehicle.
The passengers remained calm, but after continuous jabs with her tusks, a decision was made to move into nearby bushes for safety.
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“She was not aggressive, she only wanted to investigate our belongings,” Willers emphasised.
After leaving the vehicle, the passengers waited about 10 minutes for another safari vehicle to arrive.
“It was quite scary, as we had spotted a male lion earlier not far from where the vehicle had broken down,” Willers explained.
While they waited, the female elephant continued rummaging through the tourists’ belongings and even broke an expensive pair of Ray-Ban sunglasses.
“If we didn’t move, we would have been dead,” Willers said.
Willers said it was the tourists’ first time visiting South Africa and that they were left shocked by the incident.
He suffered a bruised kidney and a cut to his shin during the ordeal. The rest of the passengers suffered minor bruises and were transported safely back to the resort.
Willers highlighted that although it was a life-threatening situation, he was grateful to have experienced such a rare encounter.
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His video has since gone viral on social media and has been requested by overseas news publications, including the New York Post.
Willers and two friends were on a carp angling tour and had opted for a late-afternoon game drive when the incident occurred.
