Wagh! A real mountainee man such as my self would simply walk up to that big ear galoot, slap him across his face, climb onto his back and ride him into the next village!
This is an elephant that really did charge at us briefly in South Africa back in 2008. I put the Nissan in reverse and my wife took the photo. The elephant was the "big mamma" of the herd and was satisfied to chase us away from the trail. The rest of the herd was just behind her.
It is remarkable how fast you drive in reverse. :shock:
This guy was just happy to look aggressive and spread his ears. Either that, or he wanted to mate with the Nissan. After all, the car was a grayish color.
I read many times that an elephant with his ears flared out is bluffing and will stop before trampling you. When I went to Africa, I asked the 2 different P.H.s if that was so. They both said, "Sometimes." :Questuon:
That is similar to what I heard. The pamphlet I read said that they were presenting a "mock charge" when the ears were out. But, I asked, what if the elephant didn't read the same pamphlet?
The female in my post, above, actually came at us in a slow trot. I saw the elephant trail and pulled over in the car at a distance I thought was far enough so we would not be perceived as a threat. As the herd waiting in the bushes, the head female went out first to make certain we were not a threat. We were not far enough, but soon we were plenty far!
You don't want to have a disagreement with an elephant. This is a result of a debate between two elephants: