iSimangaliso ‘elephant flip’ witnesses speak out
All the vehicle's occupants behaved as best they could to avoid agitating the elephant more than it already was
Visitors to the Eastern Shores section of the iSimangaliso Wetland Park on Sunday had a closer-than-expected encounter with an elephant when it overturned their vehicle on the road to Cape Vidal.
Thirusha Naidoo who recorded the video, provided Eyethu Bay Watch with an eyewitness account of the incident.
ALSO READ: WATCH: Elephant overturns vehicle in iSimangaliso Wetland Park
‘My family and I were among a group of four cars that decided to stop and watch the elephant,’ recalled Naidoo.
‘My eight-year-old daughter, who is wildlife crazy, noticed the elephant was starting to become agitated, and flapping its ears.’
The animal’s behaviour prompted the two vehicles at the front to drive forward, while Naidoo’s car, and the one behind them, reversed.
‘The elephant began to follow us. We continued to reverse, but the other vehicle decided to stop, obviously in the hope the elephant would stop going after us.’
However, the elephant turned on the vehicle now in front of the Naidoo family, pushing it onto its side before rolling it onto its roof.
Fortunately, none of the occupants were seriously injured and, once the car had been overturned, the elephant continued on its way.
‘I don’t think anyone was in the wrong in the situation. All the vehicle’s occupants behaved as best they could to avoid agitating the elephant more than it already was,’ said Naidoo.
‘We believe the reason for the elephant’s aggression was that it was in musth.
‘The incident has not stopped my daughter from wanting to be a game ranger!’
Bheki Manzini, communication and PR manager of iSimangaliso Wetland Park, on Monday said park officials responded to the incident and helped the family out of their vehicle.
‘While such incidents are not a common occurrence in iSimangaliso, we wish to caution our visitors to always remain vigilant and maintain a 50m distance between them and wildlife, particularly the big five as human-wildlife conflicts sometimes do happen since the animals are wild and roam freely in the park.
‘We are grateful that no life was lost during this incident. Based on management’s investigation, there will be no action taken against the elephant in question.’
See this week’s ZO Weekender for an exclusive interview with the family.
