KAROI, Zimbabwe, Sept. 8 (UPI) — An aggressive elephant in Zimbabwe was caught on camera throwing two men away from the dinner table where they were sitting during a safari.
The video, posted to YouTube by user knockbraun, shows Northern Irishman Stephen Montague, 39, and his brother-in-law, U.S. resident Shane Wolf, being shoved away from the table by the elephant’s tusks and trunk while they were having their dinner during a safari in the Mana Pools wildlife park.
Wolf sustained minor injuries from the animal’s tusks and Montague was not harmed.
National Geographic estimates about 500 people are killed by elephants each year.
Montague’s mother, Patricia, said the family was not deterred from their safari plans.
“They took what happened in their stride. The elephant wandered into the compound looking for something to eat,” she told the Belfast Telegraph. “One of the guards threw it something but that made it bolder and it headed over to the table. Stephen is fine and that’s what is most important to us.”
The video’s description said no one ever threw the elephant any food.
“To CLARIFY, nobody was feeding the elephant and nobody threw anything. A pod fell from the tree behind where we were sitting, this is what the elephant was eating the entire time. The elephant which had poor eyesight was startled when it walked upon us. It then Swung its trunk and head and hit Shane and Stephen. We respected the elephants territory and this is their HOME. We love these amazing animals and support African tourism. We were lucky to walk away from this.”
A tourist group in South Africa recently had a similar experience when an aggressive elephant charged their safari vehicle in Hwange. The group said “no one was harmed other than the safari truck.”
