It was an amazing experience said renowned conservationist and founder of The Earth Organization Lawrence Anthony
It was an amazing experience said renowned conservationist and founder of The Earth Organization Lawrence Anthony after he and two friends survived an attack by an enraged bull elephant on the world famous Thula Thula Game Reserve in South Africa.We were on a night drive and he came at us from nowhere in a full blooded charge and hammered the front of the Land Rover station wagon, driving us backwards into the bush for about twenty yards, said Anthony. Then he backed off, swung around to the left, and as I tried to drive forward he charged at the passenger side crushing the doors and smashing the vehicle over onto its side. The passengers fell on top of me and while we were lying there he charged again, and with incredible fury literally smashed the vehicle over onto its roof popping out the windows and windscreen, and then he continued to pound at us until the Landy fell back on its side. He was trumpeting and stomping around completely enraged, but thankfully he had driven the passenger compartment into a thicket and he couldn't reach us. I managed to get my pistol out and started firing shots into the air, screaming at him to distract him, and after what felt like an eternity he backed off. I then started talking calmly to him, he then relaxed, his ears came down and came back and reached in to the vehicle and pulled out the rest of the windscreen and started smelling me with his trunk. Then he backed off and stood there looking at us, and then started eating a bush as if nothing had happened. A herd of elephant arrived and mulled around and eventually he walked off with them. The radio had been smashed but luckily I managed to get it working and was able to call for help and the rangers came and got us. Amazingly no one was hurt. When asked if the elephant would be shot, Anthony replied "No, this is his territory and it was my fault. He was in Musth [a mating condition where a bull elephants testosterone levels can increase by fifty times] and I should have been more careful." Anthony, the founder of The Earth Organization is also well known for his rescue of the Baghdad Zoo during the Coalition invasion of Baghdad in 2003 the story of which is told in his book "Babylons Ark."
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