Elephant Attacks Toyota Land Cruiser During Safari, High Speed Chase in Reverse Ensues

The offroader was carrying a wildlife television crew at the time, with the team planning to shoot some scenes in the Limpopo Province, South Africa. While the elephant did throw himself at the open-air Toyota on more than one occasion, it did give the driver some time to react.

Unfortunately, the guy behind the wheel chose to make a run for it in reverse instead of turning the vehicle around. And while he did step on the gas, he failed to get away, allowing the elephant to ram the vehicle.

Fortunately, the elephant didn’t go completely berserk, so the people in the Land Cruiser were not injured in the incident. This was a young female and while she might have weighed less than the car, she could've caused serious trouble.

There would’ve been a more effective way of dealing with the problem

I have to admit I’ve always been against driving in reverse on such occasions. The sheer fact that we spend most of our time driving forwards means we have poor skills at going backwards.

Sure, the J70 Land Cruiser might not be the sharpest tool in the driving shed, but a good old flick of the wheel and a bit of footwork would’ve quickly turned the thing around, allowing the driver to leave the elephant behind.

Sure, it’s easy to go all keyboard warrior, but I have been in somewhat similar situations and maneuvers such as the one described above have saved me every time. Even if you do end up mastering the ways of steering while driving backwards at speed, the single gear ratio brings enough limitations to justify a swift J-turn. So, for your own safety, go down this route if necessary.