Survive a Charging Elephant

It is estimated that about 500 people are killed each year by elephants, either where they live or in captive situations.[1] If by a stroke of ill fortune you come face-to-face with an angry elephant, your life is at stake. While there are no guarantees, knowing what to do when an elephant charges before your travel in elephant country or work with elephants is a sensible precaution. The aim is to stay alive!

Steps

Determining if it's a mock or real charge

  1. Decide whether or not the elephant in the situation is actually going to charge. It is thought that most charges are "mock" (threat) charges, that is, the elephant is pretending to charge but is actually testing you out to see if you're aggressive or a non-threat. Be able to recognize the difference between an elephant who is making a mock charge and an elephant who is about to trample you.
  2. Watch the elephant's ears.
    • If an elephant's ears are relaxed, he is probably making a mock charge. Ears that are fanned out are indicative of a mock charge.[2]

    • If the elephant's ears are pinned back flat, it is likely that the charge is real.[2] This will often be accompanied by a trunk that is curled inward.[3]

  3. Listen for warnings. You're likely to hear trumpeting of a warning from the elephant.
  4. Look for displacement activities. There are some other indicators of an elephant working out whether to charge or retreat. These include a twitching trunk and swinging one leg to and fro.[3] The biologist responsible for discovering this, Dr. George Schaller, realized that the more pronounced these "displacement activities", the more likely the elephant was making a threatening show out of fear and had no intention to really charge.

Getting away

  1. Stay downwind of the elephant at all times. This way, the elephant will find it difficult to smell you and seek you out (elephants have a keen sense of smell). If you can hide downwind, you might be able to avoid any further encounter.[3] If you do run, stay downwind to make following you more difficult.
  2. If the elephant appears to be making a mock charge, you have the option of standing absolutely still.[2] The problem with this is that it is very hard to do when an elephant is bearing down on you. It does show the elephant that you're non-threatening and it removes the desire to chase you. However, you'll need to judge the suitability of this move by the size and aggressiveness of the elephant before you.
  3. Be noisy. It might be possible to shoo off the elephant by making loud noise if there is some distance between you and the charging elephant. Some think that this a very good option if you're inside a vehicle.[2] On the other hand, if you're on foot trying to dodge the elephant when it's very close to you, others think that staying quiet is probably a much better option.[1] However, according to biologist Michael Fahey, screaming and yelling is very effective (you can see him on video below, demonstrating scaring away a charging elephant). It is likely that this option should be used only where you see indications of a mock charge.[3]
    • You can also shake trees, rattle bags, make noise using whatever objects are to hand.
    • A loudly and repetitively shouted "No" is good if you can't think of anything else.
    • Note that Michael Fahey shoos away a small-ish mother elephant. You might not be so willing to shout at a bull elephant in must, a time during which the elephant will be exceptionally aggressive and more likely to charge with intent to harm.[4]
  4. Do not show your back to the elephant. Do not turn or run! Running encourages chasing. (However, if you lose your nerve and do run, see steps on running below.) Biologist Michael Fahey says that "the probability of you getting killed is much lower if you stand your ground than if you run."
  5. Look for something to keep between you and the charging elephant. Do a quick look around you to see if you can duck behind something larger than you or something that can act as a shield. For example, a vehicle, a building, a pile of rubble, a large tree, etc. In some cases, getting inside a tree might work if it's possible. This is something that Gabonese hunters do, sliding inside the stilt roots of swamp trees, which seems to be adequate to ward off a charging elephant.[2]
    • If you do hide somewhere, be aware that you must be absolutely still and quiet, for elephants have acute hearing.[3]
    • If there is a vehicle and you can maneuver it quickly enough, drive off. Be warned though, if the elephant is already close to the vehicle, it may charge the vehicle and you risk being tipped over and pounded.
  6. If you must run, try to do it in a way that deceives the elephant. A charging elephant can run much faster than you but if you zig-zag, you might be able to confuse it. Elephants find it difficult to change directions due to their bulky size. And, of course, run as fast as you can––your life depends on it.
    • If you do run, the intent should be to place as much distance between yourself and the elephant. Elephants that are scared, upset or angered can run up to {{safesubst:#invoke:convert|convert}} (the fastest human being clocks in at around 37kph for a short sprint).[3]
    • A wicked but true fact––the elephant will get the slowest runner. That's your bid for safety if you're in a group. Of course, few people want to see sparing their own life coming at the expense of another, so it's kinder to yell out instructions for sparing everyone's life if possible and to try to ensure everyone reaches safety.
  7. Climb. Elephants can't climb, obviously. And provided you find a sturdy enough tree of good height, it might be enough to put space between you and the marauding elephant.
    • Keep in mind that the elephant might rip the tree down, so be on the lookout for signs that it might try this next.
    • Be warned! It might not be wise to jump into water. Apart from the fact that the water might harbor other non-friendly wildlife, elephants are surprisingly good swimmers and it may decide to simply follow you.
  8. Hop into a ditch. In some cases, people have evaded a charging elephant by dropping into a large ditch and staying low.[3] Be warned that if the ditch isn't wide or deep enough, the elephant may find its way around and start going for you with its trunk.

Coping when the elephant closes in

  1. Throw a decoy. If you're running and the elephant is drawing nearer, throw a jacket, hat, bag or branch a distance away from you. This might serve as enough of a distraction for the elephant to attack it instead of you.[2] While it's attacking the decoy, run as far from the elephant as you can.
  2. Resort to noise again. As outlined in the previous section, being noisy might be all you have left, so stand your ground and roar like a lion.
  3. Play dead. It's not an optimal choice and you are extremely exposed if the elephant decides to stomp on you, either deliberately or unwittingly. But if it's all you have left, curl up, protect your head with your arms (or a pack/camera) and play dead. Wait and wait until the elephant tires of you and leaves. Hopefully without stepping on you.
  4. If you survive, check that everyone else is okay. Attend to any wounds and seek help. Let local park rangers, keepers, police and other relevant parties know what has happened.



Tips

  • If you are with a guide, keeper or other responsible person, listen to what he or she says to do and obey!
  • Try not to anger any elephant. Stay very still and don't stare at its eyes.
  • If you are in an enclosed space with an elephant, such as at a zoo, wildlife park or similar, be sure you know all of the safety protocols for such an activity and stay near exit points at all times.
  • Try to stay calm at all times. While it's terrifying to have a large, wild beast bearing down on you, keeping a clear head may be what saves you.
  • In some cases, rangers or guides shoot near (rather than at) charging elephants, to get them to turn around.

Warnings

  • Watch where you put your feet. Tripping can ruin your ability to escape, and the elephant may bear down on you.
  • Wise people stay in their vehicle on safari and do not leave its relative safety to "get closer" to the elephants.
  • If you are near a vehicle just press the horn and make noise. This will make the elephant to leave that spot.
  • If the elephant catches up to you, try to avoid their tusks as a single impale from these will most likely kill you or seriously injure you.
  • Elephants are not afraid of rodents; plucking one from your pocket won't help.
  • If that tree you decide to climb harbors stinging ants, thorns or other unsavory things, you'll have a new problem. In some cases, you might have allergic reactions, so have your Epipen ready. If the stinging beasties or a tree-lounging big cat are threatening your life, you'll need to find another solution, fast.
  • Even carrying weapons is no guarantee of safety against a charging elephant. The charge can occur so quickly that there isn't time to react with a weapon.[4]

Related Articles

Sources and Citations

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 David Borgenicht and Trey Popp, The Worst-Case Scenario Almanac: Great Outdoors, pp. 154-155, (2007), ISBN 0-8118-5827-8
  2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 2.4 2.5 http://news.mongabay.com/2006/0627-gabon.html
  3. ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 3.3 3.4 3.5 3.6 http://www.indiawilds.com/diary/how-to-know-if-an-elephant-is-about-to-charge/
  4. ↑ 4.0 4.1 http://www.guardian.co.uk/travel/2007/mar/27/zimbabwe
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