Elephant vs. Wild Dogs, and a Police Car? Elephant Shows Who’s Boss

Many exciting things can occur when you’re driving down a road in Kruger National Park in South Africa. The park is home to a diverse array of wildlife, including elephants, wild dogs, lions, antelopes, and many more. In one amusing video, a couple on their way home captured some amazing footage of an angry elephant chasing down a pack of wild dogs and a police car.

Elephants use roadways to navigate their ranges, and they may feel threatened if anything (cars or animals) passes through what they consider their territory. While most of the time, elephants are gentle towards humans, they have been known to smash up cars.

How Do Elephants Attack?

In a video posted to YouTube by Latest Sightings, an elephant makes a surprise visit along a roadway. The couple who submitted the video to Latest Sightings said they were on their way home when they saw a pack of wild dogs playing in the road. They stopped their car to get a better look when suddenly, out of nowhere, an angry elephant charged out of the trees and toward the wild dogs.

Luckily for the Humans and the Dogs, It Was a Mock Charge

The elephant was trumpeting and flapping its ears, which is typical behavior for an elephant’s mock charge. When an elephant is threatened or agitated, it will usually warn those around it. This elephant’s loud trumpeting, rushing around, and flapping ears served as a warning to the wild dogs and the cars on the road. The dogs scattered as the elephant chased, but then, the massive creature turned its attention to the cars on the road.

The car ahead of the couple shooting the video was a large police car, and it slowly backed up to put distance between itself and the elephant. This is exactly what experts recommend you do when an elephant charges your car. However, the couple shooting the video could not reverse as they were towing a trailer and had another car behind them.

Finally, the police car started honking its horn, and this seemed to stop the elephant in its tracks. From there, it calms down and wanders off back into the bush. Fortunately for those on the road, this elephant did not exhibit the signs of a real charge. When elephants intend to attack, they pin their ears against their heads. They may also lower their heads as they run forward, ready to butt up against whatever they see as a threat.

Are Wild Dogs Afraid of Elephants?

African wild dogs are social animals and live in packs of around 10 to 30 individuals. They are predators and hunt their prey as a group. Although they prey on large animals, such as antelopes and warthogs, elephants are much too massive for wild dogs to attempt to overtake. However, if any other herd members are around, they will protect the babies.

The video out of Kruger National Park showed the wild dog pack scattered when the elephant charged, but they didn’t go too far, or seem to take the threat too seriously.

What Should You Do If an Elephant Attacks Your Vehicle?

If you are in your car and an elephant charges, there are several steps you can take to avoid a confrontation. Most importantly, don’t leave your vehicle. You may be afraid the elephant will tip it over. However, you will be in much more danger of getting trampled if you exit your car and start running on foot. Elephants are fast runners and can reach around 15 – 25 miles per hour.

If you have the space and ability, drive backward slowly. This shows the elephant that you are not a threat. It also puts some distance between you, hopefully helping the elephant to feel less threatened.

If you have no room to move, experts recommend turning your engine off and sitting quietly. Sometimes the noise of cars can agitate the elephants, and when things are quiet, they calm down.

As we mentioned above, the police car ahead of the couple shooting the video started honking its horn. Although it’s not recommended to do so by experts, this seemed to have the effect of stopping the elephant. One caveat to the advice is that if an elephant continues to charge, experts recommend, as your last resort, making yourself big and loud. The idea is to intimidate the elephant, making it rethink its attack.