Zambian guide scolds bull elephant out of charging, saves British students

Alessandra Kelley

Sophipygian
Staff member
Moderator
Super Member
Registered
Joined
Mar 27, 2011
Messages
16,883
Reaction score
5,199
Location
Near the gargoyles
Website
www.alessandrakelley.com
http://www.bbc.com/news/world-africa-30508335

Zambian wildlife guide Manny Mvula was praised by a group of sixteen- and seventeen-year-old British students after he turned away a bull elephant in musth -- a sexually aggressive state -- by scolding it.

The group had been setting up camp after viewing a group of female elephants, unaware that they were between the females and the bull elephant.

Student footage shows the elephant standing not too far away staring at them for a time, then as it begins to lunge forward Mr. Mvula runs in front of the boys and shouts at the elephant as one would at an unruly dog.

"Get back! You get back! Down! Okay? ... This is not a time to mess around!"

The guide said that in the worst case scenario the elephant could have charged the teenagers, even though he remained confident that he could handle the situation successfully.

"That is the importance of always using fully trained safari guides, who understand animal behaviour," he said.

"Looking back on what I did, I guess you can say it was a bit of a stupid thing to do," Mr Mvula said.

"It took me three weeks to pluck up the courage and tell my wife what happened."
 
Last edited:

frimble3

Heckuva good sport
Super Member
Registered
Joined
Oct 7, 2006
Messages
11,574
Reaction score
6,396
Location
west coast, canada
"It took me three weeks to pluck up the courage and tell my wife what happened." Considering this is a man with the courage to stand up to a charging elephant, Mrs. Mvula, enraged at her husband's risk-taking, must be impressive indeed.