Alan's Elephant Encounter

Did Alan see an elephant or a larium induced bunny?

On my second day there I had one of the more memorable experiences of my lifetime. I had spent most of the day trying to track down elephant, and at about 5pm in the afternoon while on a jungle path a couple of kms from camp. I finally heard the cracking of bamboo, which could only be as the result of an elephant. I made my way through the bamboo till finally I saw the big grey back of a single male elephant. I watched him for a while, but as I was being eaten alive by mosquitoes, I tried to get a bit closer for a photo, but must have made a bit too much noise, as it bolted away down the hill through the bamboo.

Quite chuffed that I had seen an elephant anyway, I got back on the path, and continued on with my bike. A couple of hundred meters later the forest opened up a bit and what should be in the path but an elephant, possibly even the same one. Being a bit confident, and assuming that the elephant would bolt when I got closer, I continued brazenly down the path towards it. However, when it did hear me it turned and charged. I was shocked, not sure if it was a real charge or not - it hadn't trumpeted, and I couldn't tell by the ears, like one can with African elephants if it was just trying to be intimidating. It came to a halt with a trumpet about 15m away from me, watched me for a bit, scenting the air, before backing off. I hadn't moved apart from turning my bike sideways to try appear bigger than I was. I was quite aware that there was nowhere to run to, and the trees were not climbable. The only strategy for escape that had come to mind was to throw the bike at him and then try hide. Just as I was thinking I'd had a lucky escape the elephant turned and came straight at me at speed, flattening a small grove of trees as it headed for me. I though this is it, its coming at me for real. But it stopped, about 10m away - way too close for comfort. I was shitting myself (figuratively speaking!).

This time the elephant backed away sideways till there were trees between me and him, before turning and heading off about 60-70m. Then it stopped and turned sideways. Worried it was gonna come again I clapped my hands, and took a photo, the flash seemed to put it off, and it bolted off down the path into the forest. It was now about 6pm, and getting dark. It was about 7-10km to camp back the way I had come, which had been through some difficult terrain with the bike which I had to carry fairly often, or 2km if I kept going the way the elephant had gone, so I continued, wanting to hurry because it was getting dark - but scared I was gonna bump into the elephant again. And a short while later, what should be on the path but the elephant. I tried clapping my hands to scare him off again, but it turned and charged down the path straight at me. I left my bike on the side of the path and tried hiding behind a tree. The elephant stopped about 2m away next to my bike. Its been a long time since I have been that scared. Nowhere to run, nowhere to hide, no gun and all alone, with a Huge elephant towering a couple of meters away, and blatantly not happy. I didn't have too many escape options in front of me, so I was worried. Then it charged again, I stumbled to keep the tree between me and it, thinking that this was it... hello angels, but no trunk reached out to take me, and no tree was pushed on top of me, as the elephant kept running down the path. I watched its huge behind, with little tail, shake the trees as it kept on going, then I jumped on my bike and did some of the most hectic downhill mountain biking anyone has ever done to get out of there. Wow.

To top it all off I got lost on the maze of paths close to the camp, but finally I got to my tent, scratched, bruised, suffering severe blood loss due to mosquitoes and leeches, but happy to be alive