Arnold Schwarzenegger Has Close Encounter With A Charging Elephant In South Africa [Video]


Arnold Schwarzenegger got a little too up close and personal with a rather large elephant during his recent trip to South Africa, and the tough guy got a fright.

As the Terminator, Schwarzenegger is used to being in the middle of the action up on the big screen, but while on safari in South Africa, he experienced a real adventure.

While riding around with a safari guide, one elephant decided he’d had enough of his human audience and started approaching the vehicle. The guide spoke calmly to everyone in the car, telling them not to worry. In fact he appeared more worried about the elephant scratching himself on the vehicle than anything more dire happening.

The elephant then appeared to be heading off into the bush and away from the road, but did a quick U-turn and started heading straight for the group, by now looking thoroughly fed up. Maybe he saw the movies. Even elephants can be critics.

Despite the scary experience, Schwarzenegger kept his cool, just like he did in his days starring in the Terminator movies. However, he can be clearly heard to say, “Oh s***,” as their vehicle pulled away, leaving the elephant quite literally in the dust.

Watch the action as it unfolds in the video below.

Arnie joked that he “couldn’t have scripted the safari encounter better if it was a movie,” but he also passed on a serious message to his fans.

“I’m absolutely in awe of these beautiful, strong animals, even though some of us had to change our pants after this.”

Schwarzenegger added: “We need to stop killing them – take a photo, not a shot. Would you rather be able to experience these creatures or a hunk of ivory? I thought so.”

However, while he might have been just a little scared of the charging elephant, it seems he had no hesitation making friends with a local lion, even though the big cat was stealing his protein.

When posting the video on Facebook, where he has amassed more than 800,000 views and on Instagram, where he’s had more than 360,000 views, he got quick praise from social media fans.

“What an amazing post! With so much wrong doing to animals heard daily in the news, this is a magnificent clip! The fact the guy is more worried that the elephant will scratch itself on the vehicle than the prospect of it charging is awesome,” Caroline Laura Caine wrote.

“I wish you could come fully loaded like in COMMANDO accompanied by a T1000 to come to South Africa to protect our endangered species, at the rate of poaching experienced here, there won’t be much to see in the near future,” Tebogo Matshediso said.

According to SA People, the safari was a sidetrack from his main reason for being in South Africa. Schwarzenegger was there for the inaugural Arnold Classic Africa 2016, an event which is showcasing some of South Africa’s top boxing talent.

The three-day event ran from May 27-29 at the Sandton Convention Center, which hosted six fights, including three title fights contested over the 10 rounds.

The tournament was reportedly headlined by Patrick Malinga and Ashton Whiteboy for the vacant World Boxing Association (WBA) Pan-African interim lightweight title.

“We are celebrating the All-Africa month coinciding with the Arnold Classic, and we are positioning Gauteng as a good province for sport,” boxing promotor Kaya Majeke said.

Schwarzenegger also visited Nelson Mandela House to leave his respects for the former South African president, saying on his Instagram post: “It was an honor to visit the home of one of my heroes today. We should all strive to emulate the grace Mandela showed in his commitment to public service.”

[Photo by Scott Barbour/Getty Images]

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