Jan. 8, 2026, 11:30 a.m. ET

An enraged elephant was captured in video tipping over a safari vehicle in South Africa, and several commenters were quick to blame rangers for the dangerous encounter.

The video by @ankeschnepel and posted on southafriworld’s Instagram page is purported to have taken place in the Mabalingwe Nature Reserve, located less than a two-hour drive from Johannesburg.

There were no apparent injuries, but surely the safari tourists were shaken.

The video prompted several commenters to allege negligence by the rangers, also known as safari guides. There were two other game-viewing vehicles in the vicinity.

“Rangers should’ve known better” and were “too close” were common refrains among the critical comments.

But others came to the defense of the rangers.

“What could the rangers have done any differently?” one commenter wrote. “If you have ever been in an African game drive, an elephant herd can suddenly emerge out of literally nowhere. And if one of them decides you are in the wrong place, this can happen without provocation. Elephants even knock over other elephants without any provocation. So rather state what you think the rangers should have done differently if you say that the `Rangers should’ve known better!!’”

Several observers pointed out that the bull elephant was in “heat” or musth, noticing the oozing temporal glands behind the eyes. An elephant in musth becomes highly aggressive and very dangerous.

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There were also reports that a newborn calf was with the herd, and the bull was in protection mode.

Another commenter alleged that a tourist was to blame.

“Somebody in the car took a photo with their camera flash and that irritated the elephant,” the commenter wrote. “There were no signs of them flapping their ears showing their presence. It was a very sudden movement despite the elephant running in the background. Game vehicles often hold their ground and the elephants are unbothered, curious but not bothered unless it’s a male [in] heat.”

Finally, one commenter from Johannesburg seemed to submit an update from local authorities about the encounter, writing, “A statement was released by Mabalingwe HOA stating the elephants were on edge because of a newly born calf (unknown to the ranger at the time). The [patriarch] is seen in the video tipping the vehicle in an act to protect the herd. They have since blocked all the roads in the areas surrounding the elephants to give them time to get their new member of the family integrated into the herd. In closing, anytime you go to the bush you are stepping into their world and anything can happen. I don’t do not believe this incident was caused by negligence.”