Everybody loves elephants. The biggest living land animals in the world, they are beautiful creatures that are revered worldwide. Although generally thought of as gentle animals, they are actually incredibly dangerous — which can be mostly attributed to their impressive size — although there are times when elephants can be frighteningly aggressive too. And I mean aggressive.
Like seriously, you do not want to get in the way of an elephant that got out of bed on the wrong side.
Weighing in at 10,000 to 13,000 pounds, and capable of reaching speeds of around 25 mph, getting hit by an elephant at full speed is similar to being hit by a truck. Except a truck doesn’t have two piercing tusks.
In this video, a poor buffalo gets this lesson first-hand, as a bull elephant smashes into it, using his tusks to stab and kill the buffalo. Happening in front of a group of tourists in Kruger National Park (including one lady that is far from impressed with the elephant), this unprovoked attack really shows how brutal nature can be.
The reason behind the elephant’s aggressive behavior is still unclear, but it is most likely due to a periodic condition called “musth.” During musth, bull elephants experience a significant surge in testosterone levels, which can make them extremely aggressive. While this condition is believed to be related to reproduction, it can have a negative effect on the elephant’s behavior. Another possible explanation suggested by Kruger Sightings, the publisher of the video, is that the elephant was defending a watering hole from a herd of buffalo. However, this territorial behavior is atypical of elephants, which are known for their nomadic lifestyle. It is possible that both factors contributed to the elephant’s behavior, with the musth condition exacerbating the response.
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