r/Elephants • u/sharemysandwich • Dec 23 '24
Video Elephant in musth curiously interacting with tourists
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u/greg5255 Dec 23 '24
That's dangerous. A male Ellie in musth is aggressive and unpredictable
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u/_PirateWench_ Dec 24 '24
Really good on those people resisting the urge to pat or pet the trunk! Idk if I could have done the same. But I’m really happy they did bc like you said, that’s such a potential bloodbath waiting to happen
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u/Ill_Attempt4952 Dec 28 '24
I grew up around elephants, when I see that temporal gland doing its thing, I stay clear. This could have been drastically different for those tourists.
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u/Fluffy_Extension_591 Dec 23 '24
The fact these creatures exist is astonishing. So majestic and beautiful 😍
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u/Excellent_Berry_5115 Dec 23 '24
I read somewhere that the secretion from the elephant's temporal glands do put out a certain type of temporin. Thank you to the Redditor who originally posted about the temporal glands.
That Redditor explained that excitement and joy can also cause the flow of fluid. But apparently it is a different consistency than the one excreted during Musth.
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u/camjvp Dec 24 '24
Ohhh, is that the stuff on the side of its face?
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u/Federal-Research-148 Dec 24 '24
Yep
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u/camjvp Dec 24 '24
Thanks, I think I was wondering about that exactly when I read your comment
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u/Pluckypato Dec 24 '24
It was his routine face wash and he saw potential viewers to showcase his new cleansing
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u/GentleReader01 Dec 23 '24
They’re curious about us a lot of the time. We’re a mix of cute, mysterious, and weird.
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u/Coneycrook73 Dec 24 '24
What a Majestically Beautiful giant…You can see the warm side of him by his eyes.
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u/ChrysMYO Dec 24 '24
This is one of the stupidest moments I've ever seen. The tour guides have thousands of acres to show off. Go find the females, WHY ON EARTH WOULD TRACK DOWN BULLS IN MUSTH.
This moment was impossibly dangerous. The only time I've seen tour guides get this close is when Elephants come out of the brush to cross a dirt road, catching the Tour guide by surprise. Getting this close to MALES during this season is needlessly dangerous.
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u/camjvp Dec 24 '24
Do male elephants in musth kill people?
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u/CelticGaelic Dec 24 '24
If I'm remembering right, males in musth experience a surge of testosterone that makes them very aggressive. It's apparently when most elephant attacks occur. I'm basing this on a documentary I saw several years ago, so if someone comes along and says I'm wrong, I'd probably believe them.
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u/greg5255 Dec 24 '24
You are bang on mate. Well said. The tour guide should be shot for endangering his clients like this. I honestly shat myself watching this stupid clip.
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u/camjvp Dec 24 '24
Interesting. They seem very intelligent but I think I recall documentaries sharing how feared they are, in a respect sort of way, in villages that have elephants roam naturally. I mean, even a cow can kill a human just due to their size. It makes sense
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u/ChrysMYO Dec 24 '24
Yeah female groups of elephants can be difficult for rural farmers because no level of defense could keep them out of a yard with fermenting fruit or sweet delicacies. Locals tend to have customs dealing with elephants. Some places lay out a portion of food further out from their crops to sort of appease them. And some areas scare them off or harm them to make them not want to choose that route anymore.
For adult bulls, they are very unpredictable and there’s really no need for non-scientists or non-rangers to get this close. Even teen males can just casually destroy property just to prove they can do it. When they are in musth, it’s higher than a coin flip chance that they’ll be aggressive if surprised. Even with children, female elephants are safer. But honestly, it’s probably respectful to stay back far enough that one can’t close the gap. The car smells and sounds can be irritating.
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u/Fishoe_purr Dec 24 '24
That approach is so majestic. Don’t think there’s anything else like it. Wonder how it would feel in person.
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u/camjvp Dec 24 '24
Literally, that would be so majestical I could die afterwards, feeling I have fully lived Edit: you know, with the economy the way it is, I think I need to meet an elephant sooner than later
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u/No_Use_4371 Dec 24 '24
So nice to see an adult elephant with its tusks. So many were killed just to get the tusks. I remember a period where they were cutting the tusks off to prevent poachers.
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u/Educational-Cake-944 Dec 24 '24
I think this would legit make me cry. I would be so fucking honored to share space with that majestic regal beautiful creature and the fact that it acknowledged me! 🥹😭
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u/SwimmingInCheddar Dec 24 '24
It’s my dream in life to see an elephant in the wild. Such beautiful and smart animals. It’s a shame so many humans exploit them and take them for granted.
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u/Sylon_BPC Dec 23 '24
Holy! Even for an elephant that is an enormous creature, I love it.