Link "Elephant and Defender":
http://www.lrenthusiastforum.com/ubbthreads/showflat.php?Cat=&Board=UBB7&Number=305974&page=1&view=collapsed&sb=5&o=0&fpart=all
Link:
http://www.ingwelala.co.za/
Cordiales saludos,
Felipe
<i><b>Elephant and Defender</b>
On discussing where to go on an evening drive, my friend suggested that we go to the Peru Dam near Ingwelala (KNP)on the main road, so we packed a cooler box and set off. On arriving at the dam all there was to see was a loan buffalo bull cooling off in the water. It was still quite hot and we decided to wait until after the sun had set and meanwhile watch the buffalo in the water.
We were still sitting in the Landrover after sunset when all of a sudden we heard the sound of a twig breaking, and with that I turned around and in the moonlight saw an enormous grey shape. It was about 3m from the vehicle, which was parked on the side in a sort of ditch, so we couldn't move. We just had to sit and wait. I thought it was a lone bull elephant but in only a minute or so another 14 came out of the bush and procedded to stand in the road about 1.5m from the Landie, babies as as well. With that, the matriarch came in for a closer inspection on the driver's side where my friend was sitting, and she then put her trunk on the steering wheel and on his back. We just sat there, dead still and she moved away, but as went she kicked the back of the vehicle with quiet aggression. By this stage, our hearts were in our mouths, but after the kick, she, together with some of the herd, moved to the back of the Landie and investigated our cooler box. While this was happening, another elephant from the herd came round the front of the vehicle and started pushing us down the road! She hit us twice in the front of the vehicle with quite a force, but after that she just left us and walked into the bush. But it still wasn't over! As she was leaving, a third elephant proceeded to the front of the vehicle, smelt the spare wheel and drooled on it. She then came to my side of the Landie, which was facing the dam. She stood there for a while before hitting the body of the Landie above the front tyre, her head rocking the car quite forcibly. On the second attempt, she moved even closer and hit the body work again, with a lot more force this time, and rocked us even more. With her third attempt, she moved to the rear view mirror and put her tusk through the body work. By this stage I thought it was all over for us, especially when she lined up with the door, took a few steps back and moved quickly towards the door where I was sitting, but she stopped about 10cm away, and her tusks were then over the door inside the car about 5cm away from me!! I could see the hairs on her eyelids she was so close.... She stopped there and just stared at us for what felt like hours, but it was probably only a minute or ape
so. She then made low rumbling noises while staring at us, then to our heartfelt relief moved away into the bush.
It was certainly something I will never forget but at the same time I don't ever want to go through an experience like that again! </i>
