Escape from an elephant: Jumbo chases after a car after being startled by passing vehicles in Kenya
- The elephant towered over the car and appeared poised to trample it before the driver managed to escape
- Two other vehicles had started the female elephant by speeding along the road in Amboseli National Park
- The dramatic images were taken by 43-year-old Mwangi Kirubi, who was waiting in another car to take photos
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Dramatic photos show the moment a huge elephant charged after a car after becoming startled by motor vehicles hurtling down a road in Kenya.
The giant female elephant towered over the car and appeared poised to trample it before the driver sped away, after another motorist alarmed the animal by racing down the rural road.
The scene was captured on camera by 43-year-old Mwangi Kirubi, who was waiting in a car to take pictures in Amboseli National Park when two other vehicles hurried past him.
That prompted the herd’s matriarch to approach a fourth car where some of Mwangi’s fellow photographers were waiting – forcing them to flee.
Pursuit: A huge female elephant chases after a car after being startled by passing vehicles in a Kenyan national park
Escape: The photographers waiting in the car were forced to flee when the startled elephant started chasing them
Mwangi, from Nairobi, was on a camping trip in the national park when he saw the dramatic scene unfold.
‘We had split into two groups and were in two cars,’ he said. We were sat peacefully enjoying the company of the elephants until two other vehicles came speeding towards us and hooting for us to make way for them.
‘I have no idea where they were headed, but they were in a hurry and ignoring the 40kph [25mph] speed limit of the park.
‘I did not think that it had agitated the elephants too much, until from my car I saw the herd’s matriarch approach the other car, which contained the other photographers and threatened to attack.
‘This is the moment when I decided to shoot the sequence of images. I could not believe my eyes, the elephant was huge in comparison to the car.’
Mwangi says the elephant could have easily trampled the car, but the driver was quick to make off from the elephant and drive to safety.
The photographer added: ‘The elephant pursued the car as drove off, to express her disgust at the disturbance the passing cars had caused.
‘Luckily we all made it back to camp alive, with nothing more than a scare and a great campfire story.’
Approach: The elephant went after the parked car after two other vehicles had hurtled down the rural road and startled it
Arrival: The elephant moved into the dirt track in Kenya’s Amboseli National Park before turning to chase after the vehicle
Giving chase: The elephant loomed large over the car and appeared poised to trample on it before the driver got away
Behind you: The fleeing car and the elephant behind it were captured on camera by Mwangi Kirubi who was in another car
On the run: The elephant’s giant ears appeared to sway from side to side as it chased after the motor vehicle in Kenya
Trunk at the ready: The elephant chases after the car but the motor vehicle eventually manages to outrun the giant mammal