Elephant scares lone zebra into the water with an aggressive charge

During the lock down period in South Africa, I am fortunate enough to be working and living in an isolated wilderness area of the Kruger National Park. While all safaris have come to a standstill, I now have ample time to explore the bush for days on end. Mother nature continues as normal. Wildlife go about their daily routine, not having a worry about what is happening out in the world. While driving around alone, I stopped at a nearby watering hole. It was a hot day and there were a number of various wildlife species congregating at the water.

Elephants outnumbered all other species of wildlife at the watering hole. At the same time, elephants are renowned for their temperament when it comes to sharing ‘their’ water with any other species of animals living in the same bush. Bull elephants especially become arrogant, cheeky or just plain aggressive with other animals around the same watering hole. Elephants are reluctant to share their space while on many occasions this type of behavior may even seem hilariously pointless, like the incident in this video. A large number of elephants were standing in and around the water hole. There was a small herd of zebra standing at the same water, enjoying a late morning drink. One zebra stood separated from the small herd while having a drink of water. My attention was drawn to a young male elephant, casually walking along the edge of the water hole, looking rather relaxed and peaceful. Suddenly the lone zebra standing at the water grabbed the attention of the bull elephant.

He stopped, looked at the zebra and in split seconds the bull elephant decided he does not like the lone zebra standing at the water trying to get a drink. With a sudden burst of aggression, the bull elephant charged towards the lone zebra while letting out his scary sounding growling screams. The zebra got such a fright that it jumped straight into the water to get away from the angry bull elephant. I could not identify any particular reason why the elephant just suddenly went for the lone zebra, though it seemed to me it might just have been cheekiness while showing off his size or just having a bit of fun because he can. The incident was over very quickly and both the elephant and the zebra continued as if nothing ever happened. I packed my stuff and continued my journey with a big smile on my face.