[imagesource: Twitter / @ms_tourist]

If you’re sitting in your car when an elephant approaches, the safest thing to do is to remain inside the car.

You really shouldn’t open a door and bolt into the bushes but sometimes adrenaline does strange things to a person’s decision-making process.

A video shared on social media yesterday shows a man and a large bull elephant crossing paths in Hluhluwe Game Reserve in northern KwaZulu-Natal this past weekend.

As the elephant edges closer, the side door of the Toyota Camry opens and a man can be seen fleeing:

What not to do … No matter how scared you are, running to the bush is never a safe option… You may end up being devoured on by a hungry Lion,
Leopard, Hyena, Rhino, buffalo … kuningi nje. This is a musth season for oGatsheni until March.. 📹Hluhluwe Game Reserve..#LetsGoWild pic.twitter.com/NdksVfey9z

— CertifiedEcoTourismDoyenne (@ms_tourist) November 7, 2022

Compare that to the nerveless display from those Pafuri guides and you’re looking at two very different strategies.

KZN Ezemvelo spokesperson Musa Mntambo confirmed to TimesLIVE that the incident happened on a road between the Hilltop and Mpila sections of the reserve:

“I can confirm the incident occurred on a road inside the park. We caution people against getting out of their vehicles, no matter how tense the situation. If you find yourself in such a situation, do not jump out the car or venture into the bush. You could face far worse animals, such as a lion,” he said.

As far as Mntambo knows, nobody was injured.

Aside from a bruised ego, that’s about as good an ending as you can hope for.

[source:timeslive]