- An elephant charged tourists after they got too close to her calves in Botswana's Okavango Delta
- The attack overturned two mokoro canoes, throwing tourists into shallow water
- A woman was briefly held underwater by the elephant's trunk and then trampled
An elephant in Botswana's wetlands charged towards a group of tourists, including Americans and Brits, after they drifted too close to her babies during a safari canoe tour. According to a report by The Telegraph, the protective mother charged at the group, overturning their canoes resulting in a woman being briefly held underwater by the elephant's trunk.
The incident occurred on September 27 in the shallow waters of the Okavango Delta, a renowned wildlife area. Dramatic footage captured by fellow tourists shows the moment the mother elephant charged at their group as they drifted too close to her family. Despite the tour guides' frantic attempts to paddle the canoes, known as mokoros, away from the scene, the elephant quickly closed the distance and attacked. Using its trunk, the elephant knocked over the two canoes, sending the tourists tumbling into the water.
As it began to walk away, the elephant trampled a woman who was trying to stand up in the shallow water, briefly holding her underwater with her trunk. After making its point, the massive elephant calmly returned to her herd and walked away with her young. The incident left much of the crew's personal electronics, including phones and cameras, damaged or destroyed, according to the safari staff.
Watch the video here:
A former South African game ranger described the tourist's escape as incredibly lucky, stating that if the elephant had held her down for a few more seconds or used its tusks, the outcome would likely have been fatal.
He added, "This bull attacked because it was protecting its young, and it seems the guides misjudged how close they could take the tourists safely and made a potentially fatal mistake."
Many online users emphasised the need to maintain a safe distance from wild animals, especially protective mothers with calves. One user wrote, "The matriarch was clearing the way for the herd to get water. There were a couple of calves, so protection became heightened. Many have become more aggressive after possibly seeing members of the family killed by poachers or trophy hunters."
Another commented, "Elephants are not only bigger than you, they have zero reason to trust you around their young."
A third said, "Do. Not. Mess. With. Elephants. They're brilliant, amazing, intelligent, beautiful and magical creatures, but they will take you out in a heartbeat if they feel they or (especially) their family is being threatened."
The Okavango Delta, a UNESCO World Heritage site, is home to approximately 130,000 elephants. Experts stress that elephants are unpredictable and can be deadly, killing hundreds of people annually in Africa.
Botswana, home to a third of Africa's elephant population, lifted its ban on elephant hunting in 2019. The country's president, Mokgweetsi Masisi, argued that relaxing restrictions was necessary due to a population boom resulting from conservation efforts.
