As kids, we all wanted to learn how to ride a bike. It’s a very practical skill to have, and it is quite useful even up to our adult years. Grocery run? Weekend leisure? Fitness? You bet! In fact, there are still adults out there who can’t ride a bike.
Aside from the occasional spills, cuts and bruises, no one ever really thinks about the risks involved. After all, it’s a bicycle. Ask the seasoned and hardcore cyclists though and you may just change your mind.
Ever had a stray animal chase you while pedaling down the road? No, we don’t mean stray dogs.
How about an adult elephant?
This man was out and about, and by the looks of it just made a quick run to the store judging by the small bag hanging by his handlebar. He looks behind him and… Holy sweet elephants, Batman!
Yes, a full grown elephant sprinted after him. The man starts pedaling furiously and in a panic, even has a foot slip off the pedal. No laughing matter there. Those legs suddenly moved like fueled pistons!
You would too if a nearly 5 ton animal came at you.
They may be herbivores but when they stand anywhere from six to ten feet at the shoulder it’s basically a moving war tank. Check out what’s going on behind the cyclist and the elephant. Those are cars refusing to get anywhere near the massive mammal.
These elephants have been known to snap and flip cars over.
But what was this huge creature doing in the middle of the road? After it chases the cyclist away, the elephant walks back nonchalantly, giving the other drivers a death stare before heading by the bushes on the side of the road.
Out comes four more elephants. One about his size while the others much younger. You’re probably guessing this elephant made sure the road was clear of any potential threats before allowing the family to cross.
They are intelligent but endangered.
Agricultural development, habitat loss, and the ivory trade have led to the dwindling numbers of these magnificent animals. It’s a shame really, as these elephants have a highly evolved neocortex, similar to us, apes, and dolphins. The can demonstrate compassion, grief, mimicry, and self awareness.
They like to travel and cover large areas as they feed to fuel those huge bodies. It’s a good thing they prefer plants over meat. Adults can consume up to 300 pounds of food in a day.
That’s a lot of vegetables!
They need to keep their strength up. Elephants are extremely protective of their your. Not even big cats dare to approach elephant kids. Tourists in SUVs and vans will tell you how mother elephants will charge at the vehicle if it gets too close.
Remember the whole, elephants are intelligent, part? Well here you go. Let the adult check out foreign threats first then let the family cross the road. The adult saw all the stopped cars and must have been proud of the traffic it caused.
You have to wonder how much longer it took for those cars to start moving again. I doubt any one of those drivers wanted to check it the coast was clear of the elephants. It may not be Jurassic Park but they’re still huge! So why did the elephants cross the road?
Can you pedal as fast as this man did? Check it out in the video below!
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Source: YouTube, National Geographic
