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I remember my own wrong behave on a Loop around Letaba in 2000. We meet a lone Bull. A very big one! He stand in front of us, spread his ears, makes loud noises and walked to us. My wife was very nervous, and talked very engaged to me to drive back. But i said be cool. But she couldn't be cool, so i drove back. Later i thought that i am a stupid boy and we was lucky that nothing happened to us and the Polo. I think i learned my lesson.

I've seen the aftermath of an elephant attack on a car and a couple of water-tanks (gate-keepers house at a non-SANParks reserve), that must have been one angry elephant. I have a lot of respect for them. But I still love them, they are still my favourite.

Hi davep001,

2 things to look out for when you approach elephants ... look for bull in musth and for babies ... guaranteed in any of these two occasions, if you come to close, you will have to deal with the RVFBAP Syndrome (Reverse Very Fast Back and Pray) ...

A few things I have picked up whilst in the Park and from Rangers in the Park is that you need to be alerts..

There were a few elephants in the Park who had a game they used to play .. called "Have fun with the Tourists" they would purposefully stand in the middle of the road and not allow any tourist through ... at stages even "pushing" them back ...

Then there were also the notorious elephants like Mafunyane ... who after his encounter with poachers just had no time for humans ... we have been "pushed along" once along the Sabie River after both the elephants and myself suprised each other when they came from a thick bush ..

Main thing to do was to remain calm ... the matriarc just trumpted, shaked the ears and watched me ... (note I have now already put my vehicle in Reverse gear .... the next moment a baby cam running out, and I knew it was now or never ... I slowly started to reverse and the matriarc made sure I continue in that direction ... until she felt her herd was safe ...

When you are not sure if an elephant will charge is to look out for a few warning signs

1. An elephant who trumpets and shakes his head and flapping his ears is letting you know, you are to close now ... if you continue you risk the chance of being charge
2. When the ears and put against the head and the trunk is "rolled up" between the tusks underneath the mouth then make like haste, because that is the charge pose ...

This is not hard and fast rules ... but being alert will always help in dangerous situations.

We had just such a character over easter. It was late, we were on the S100 and we had to get to Orpen. Every time someone tried to get past, he took a step forward. The guy in the Audi reversed 3 times.... Needless to say we were late.

There was another bull in the Lower Sabie area which also played this game ... he must have been good, because the Game Ranger for the area had to go move 2,3??? cars that reversed off the road into a tree ....

(Read Kobie Krugers book = All things Wild and Wonderful) she gives a few messages that she took down for her hubby ... She had quite a sense of humour about it ...

We were stuck with this clown infront of us and a car on my tail behind us on the Lower Sabie Road.

This one passes our drive in Addo Elephant, no chance to drive back, because of other cars in our back. But he was a friendly Ellie.

This one was beginning to get nervous
the first car in front of us started to panic I think and went passed the ellie at full speed. The noise of the engine and car passing by made the ellie much more nervous ... (stupid driver)
but the others cars stayed quiet and the ellie cooled down and finally went back into the bush

During our recent stay we passed (and when i say that they
stand next to you in the bush ) a lot of lone old and young
bulls. In all cases i sometimes went for the close-ups of
tusks, mouths and eyelashes and in order to get got shots i
had to turn of the engine. Always ready in gear 1 and my foot
ready to move. Never had trouble but always tried to make
room for them to move and figure out their walk path.
Mostly we were alone on the roads with these nice animals

We however met a few breeding heards passing the road and
then i alway gave room, because you must not get between a
young one with his mother

In LS we booked a morning walk and took of with 3 visitors and two guides. On the S28 to Nthandanyathi in the dark a cow
appeared on the horizon and blocked the road with flapping ears... It was still dark and in the headlights a eary atmosphere was building. On the other side of the road her young calve was browsing and the guides quickly established that she was still giving milk and knew that this was a dangerous situation. They started to yell to her and after that
banging on the bonnet of the car and then this ellie decided it
was time to make her first mock charge. The guides reverced
the car for a few hunderd meters and one collected his rifle and
loaded.

To tell the truth, i wasnt scared because i trusted the guides, but without my coffee i was wide awake and my Angel was rediscovering her hubby again Clinging for dear life.

We then went forward again, because the guides had to bring us to the walking traject. Miss Ellie was still there, breaking of branches and trumpeting. What next...

The guides drove near and then one guy started to talk to her in a very calm manner, making nice conversation and she calmed down. And we could get past her. We were very impressed and the guides immediately warned the morning drive, which was behind us of this could be dangerous Ellie.

All in all i was very impressed and needless to say that this was a very special event we will never forget and i was impressed by our professional guides and the way that handeled a potental dangerous situation.

After this i alwas drove very slowly, very on guard during the
first minutes of daybreak. Very aware of Ellies next to the road.

Heee Bert, welcome back. How was the rest of your trip?

We encountered a very angry ellie in etosha in april He was in musht and came after us, without a warning. At first we didn;t even notice him. The road was too sandy to drive away in full speed. And standing still was no option
I've never been so scared in my life. Although, maybe I was: a few weeks later in the Mahonieloop, Punda Maria. A herd mama's with baby's were having a shower in the river beneath us. Suddenly a big bull stood in front of the car and there was no posibility of reversing the car. We drove backwards very slowly and eventually he disappeared in the bushes. We deceided to go back and it was a hell of a job to reverse the car at the small road in the hills. And there was our friend ageain, just 50 cm next to the car. My husband scared the shit out of him and in a reflex gave full speed. But I don't think this one wanted to atack us, he was just curious. But the last week we tried to avoid close encounters with ellies. We met a big one who liked to play with the tourist and just stood on the road for hours and forced everyone to drive back. But he was very friendly luckily

That is something I firmly believe in: sometimes (not always though) they're just having a bit fun with you! Like the one I met on the H1-5 to Olifants once. He was very relaxed and didn't really do anything, except that he stepped onto the road every time a car tried to pass and he would force it back a few meters. Then he'd go back into the bushes by the side of the road to feed. He stopped all the traffic for close to an hour. When he finally let us move on, I'd have sworn there was a twinkle in his eye.

It's amazing how reading all these stories bring back memories. I am sure you all know how an elephant can disappear 5m from the road... Those of you that don't know, here is some proof.

If you click on the photo you will see where I marked the tusk and trunk

Anyhow, We were driving around Lower Sabie with my folks (I was about 12) and on a dusty road came across a breeding herd crossing the road from right to left. Obviously we stopped and watched them cross.
They came past in bunches and when there was no more ellies crossing, after a minute or so (Probably less) my dad decided to roll forward so we can look at them from behind. So of course all our attention was drawn to the left of our car. Suddenly we heard this massive trumpeting from our right. But not just a little trumpet, it was HUGE!
Inadvertantly my dad got himself right in the middle of the herd. Now my dad is a pretty calm and collected guy, but not that day. It was the first time I have ever seen him wheel spin a car. I think by the time he collected himself we were careening at 120km/h down a dirt road. Needless to say it was time for a beer
We honestly didn't see them, and as it was a huge amount of ellies already past and no more coming, we didn't think the herd could be broken up in two or more fragments.

Which is why elephants are known as 'Grey Ghosts'! They can be within a few metres of you, hidden by trees, and you would never know that they were there unless you heard and recognised the sound of branches being torn off or their rumblings.....

Just past pafuri picnic spot we came across a herd of ele's with some very tiny ones present.

After we were allowed to pass by we did so and waited for the dust to settle (a gang of landies were on their way to Moz or the Lebombo 4x4 trail) before we moved on to Crookes' Corner.

We watched 2 ele's as they mocked charged us 5 times. Impressive trumpeting and dust tossing with some serious ear flapping. They came running towards us, stopping and then turning back again.

I knew that as soon as those ears were up against the head and the trunk rolled under the chin then it would become serious. I did keep my foot on the clutch however as some mocks do go over into a full charge.

Then when the matriarch knocked a tree as thick as my thigh out of the earth I decided that this was enough and we moved on.

Some serious adrenalin rush.

Staying in Olifants the other I went off to Makhadzi for breakfast. On the way back to Letaba, I decided to take the little detour to the Anna Ledeboer grave and Engelhard Dam.
Going down to Anna's grave no problem. Halfway down the gravel road we found a couple of Hippo's out grazing, on the left to the river side. We heard something on the right in the bushes but just put it down to some more Hippo's
Turned around down by Anna's grave, greeted the guys cleaning the roads in their big tipper truck. Didn't know how lucky we were that they were cleaning the roads that day.
Back at the point where we gound the Hippo's I saw q few cars standing in the middle of the road. Than I saw this huge Elephant Bull standing right in front of them eyeing all traffic from sides. Obviously this was the thing we heard on the right before.
Next moment everybody is in reverse gear trying to work out escape routes but it is a cul-de-sac so we won't be able to go too far.
Here comes our road cleaning crew. They stop, see our problem. The driver revves up the engine after I reverse out of his way and the guys on the back start stomping their feet on the truck. He goes down the road towards our angry Bull who decides to take on this metal monster coming his way with a big trumpet and kicking up dust. The next moment he realises the truck is a bit bigger than himself and turns away and rushes into the bush. And I mean only a bit, this was one of the tipper trucks they use for sand/stone, quite a big thing. Probably only beating the Elephant by a few centimeters in size.
Needless to say I follow that truck as quickly as I could. Bull nowhere to be seen.