Cute baby elephant tries to charge at family of tourists
Lingering tourists can seem threatening to elephants, which could be the reason they charge at tourist vehicles.
Visiting nature reserves is a popular item on many family bucket lists. In South Africa, while many options are available to tourists, the Kruger National Park tends to always win in popularity.
With the promise of seeing one or possibly all of the 'Big Five' families, they are more inclined to add the Kruger National Park to their list of holiday destinations.
A family in luck didn't just get to see a herd of elephants with two baby elephants, but also had a unique experience.
Kenya Wild Parks said, "In the animal kingdom, what may appear to be an aggressive attack is often what scientists call a mock charge—a bluff designed to intimidate rather than harm.
These behaviours are common among large mammals like elephants and serve a strategic purpose. Rather than risking injury in a confrontation, animals perform exaggerated displays of power to test threats, establish dominance, or protect their territory or young."
Mock charges aren't always mock, and sometimes lead to harmful situations. However, this situation was unique because the animal charging wasn't a fully grown elephant but a baby elephant.
The family, passing a herd of elephants, slowed down to observe the elephants when they noticed the baby elephant running toward their vehicle. They stopped and watched as the little fellow tried to show off his brute strength in what looked like a mock charge.
Watch the video below from Instagram.
People were impressed by this young elephant's attempt at protecting his family, but most drew focus to the mama elephant who stopped her young from crossing when the car began moving.
"Did anyone see Momma on the side, stopping her baby from charging once the car started moving..."
"I like how the parent elephant on the right near the end told her baby to stay over here with her trunk at the end. Very intelligent creatures."
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Image Courtesy of Instagram