logo

Gentle elephants show mercy when unwelcome guest trespasses in their enclosure

Junie Sihlangu
Sep 27, 2018
02:02 P.M.

Last Thursday, an incident occurred at the Copenhagen Zoo, Denmark, where things could’ve turned fatal. An unidentified man jumped into an enclosure with elephants.

Advertisement

Fearful observers tried to shout at the animals to distract them. The daredevil appeared to remain calm as the elephants approached him.

Video footage showed an anonymous man crouching on a rock on the edge of an elephant enclosure. Shocked onlookers tried making a noise and shouting at the Asian elephants to try and distract them.

Two adult elephants appear to go toward the man. Judging from the footage, they were probably instinctively guarding the calf that had curiously walked toward the intruder.

Advertisement

For more on this story go to our Twitter account @amomama_usa. When the elephants got closer, the man stepped down from the rock.

With his arms spread out at the sides, the seemed to be trying to calm the large mammals by appearing non-threatening. A woman watching from outside of the enclosure could be heard yelling at the elephants to stay away from the intruder.

Advertisement

Calmly, the man moves toward the far side of the enclosure and walks frighteningly close to the majestic elephants. Still, with his arms out, he walks towards the exit.

All three elephants could be seen rushing to follow close behind him as he manoeuvred his way over the rocky ground. The adult elephants could be heard roaring and snorting in a show of their displeasure at the intruder being in their enclosure.

Advertisement

The man reaches the edge of the enclosure and manages to haul himself up over a wall to safety. Ekstra Bladet, a Danish newspaper revealed that the Copenhagen police had received reports from people at the zoo about the incident.

Advertisement

By the time they arrived, the intruder had already left. Officials have launched an investigation based on CCTV and witness footage of the incident.

In 1986, Levan Merritt, 5, fell 12 feet down into the UK's Jersey Zoo gorilla enclosure and was knocked unconscious with a fractured skull. Gorillas began to approach the child but a silverback named Jambo came in between the child and the other gorillas.

Merritt made it out unharmed and in the years that followed, Jambo was honored with memorials commemorating his actions. He later passed away in 1992.

Advertisement
info
Please fill in your e-mail so we can share with you our top stories!
By subscribing, you agree to our Privacy Policy
Advertisement
Related posts

'Pray for the Baby': Police Raid 'Wrong House' with a 17-Month-Old Special-Needs Boy Inside

January 19, 2024

Rich Man’s Son Steals Few Bucks from Beggar, Pays Much Higher Price for That Later – Story of the Day

November 09, 2023

Luis Guzmán’s 5 Children — a Closer Look inside Their Lives

January 26, 2024

I Saw What My Neighbor's Doing to His Wife in Their Backyard and Called 911 Immediately – Story of the Day

February 11, 2024

Cheating Husband Skips Dinner with Kids for Mistress — Wife Bursts into Restaurant & Finds Them

October 27, 2023

Man Installed Hidden Cameras in His Bedroom after Noticing It Was Messy When He Got Home

December 02, 2023

Boss Catches Maid with Man in His Bed – Story of the Day

January 09, 2024

Woman Hears Front Door Open & Thinks Boyfriend Came Home Earlier, Realizes It’s a Stranger

January 28, 2024

Man Attacks Me with A Bat, Doesn't Know My Husband Is a Cop

November 26, 2023

Woman Spots 'Help' on Car's Window in Traffic Jam, Realizes Something's Off – Story of the Day

November 30, 2023

Woman Rescues a Man Who Has Lost His Memory and Tells Him She is His Fiancée – Story of the Day

February 19, 2024

My Abusive Husband Stormed into My Workplace Threatening Me, I Decided to Fight Back – Story of the Day

February 22, 2024

Brave Girl, 14, Saves Runaway School Bus Full of Kids from Colliding with Gas Station: ‘Everyone Was Freaking Out’

November 30, 2023

I Kicked My Brother's Family Out of My Home after Checking Hidden Cameras in My Bedroom

January 16, 2024