I’ve been fortunate enough to go on multiple African safaris over the years in South Africa, Kenya and Tanzania. I still consider them the ultimate bucket list experience. There’s nothing quite like seeing wildlife in its natural habitat, especially if you’re able to tie it into an around the world trip.
The moment an elephant charged at tourists in Botswana 🇧🇼 Okavango Delta on Saturday.
American and British tourists escaped after a bull elephant overturned their canoes and briefly held a woman underwater. She escaped with help from her husband. Credit: CNP pic.twitter.com/RCqSuFeOX4
— Weather Monitor (@WeatherMonitors) September 29, 2025
But as thrilling and magical as a safari can be, it’s also a reminder that you’re stepping into their world and things don’t always go according to plan. Case in point is the recent heart stopping footage from Botswana showing a group of tourists barely escaping what looked like a scene straight out of a Hollywood thriller.
In the video, American and British travelers found themselves the target of a bull elephant’s slow-motion charge. Their guides frantically tried to paddle their canoes, called mokoros, backward but there’s only so much you can do when several tons of pure power decides you’re too close for comfort.
What wasn’t included in some of the clips circulating online was perhaps the most terrifying part. The elephant overturned the mokoros and briefly pinned one woman underwater. According to reports, she only survived thanks to her husband who jumped in to pull her out. A former South African game ranger who reviewed the incident told the Daily Mail:
“She was incredibly lucky. Had the elephant held her down for a few more seconds or gored her with its tusks, the outcome would likely have been fatal.”
The New York Post later reported that the elephant was in fact a protective mother who had simply had enough of tourists and guides drifting too close to her babies in Botswana’s wetlands. And really, who can blame her?
For me this was a sobering reminder that while safaris are breathtaking and life changing they also require respect, caution and a deep understanding that these are wild animals not characters in a nature documentary performing for us. Encounters like this one are rare but they highlight exactly why responsible guiding, safe distances and awareness are so important.
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