A woman was flung into the air by an angry elephant after she teased the mammoth with a banana. The shocking video of the incident that took place in India shows the woman teasing the elephant with a banana when it suddenly attacks her and hurtles her backward through the air.
Despite their mammoth size, elephants are considered one of the gentlest animals in the wild. However, the woman broke the giant's patience after she continued to irritate it by removing the banana from near its trunk every time the animal tried to eat it. The elephant lost it patience and threw her out of its way and the banana.
Almost Killed
The shocking incident took place in an unspecified region of India. A video of the incident shows the unidentified woman holding up a piece of banana in front of the elephant's face while it attempted to bite down.
When the elephant was somewhat out of the bushes, the other woman recording the video could be heard saying, "What's up buddy."
The elephant quickly retaliated when the smiling soon-to-be victim stole the banana at the last second as it drew near. She continued to remove the banana every time the elephant moved forward to eat it.
Soon, the elephant realizes that the two women were just goofing around and did not intend to give it the banana, and loses its cool.
The elephant changed from being curious to aggressive in just 14 seconds, swinging its tusks and trunk at the unsuspecting woman and throwing her backward into the air.
"You can't fool an elephant even though he is tamed," tweeted Susanta Nanda, who works with the Indian Forest Service, in a post on Thursday. "They are one of the most intelligent animals to be in captivity."
Left Shocked and Speechless
The other woman screamed out in terror at the sudden attack, appearing to flee from the enraged elephant. Social media users were quick to notice the worrying footage and point out that it was entirely the woman's responsibility.
On Twitter, some people expressed concern for the woman's safety while others called her a "fool."
"Hope she survived the attack," one person wrote.
"Scary," another said. "Never ever disrespect any creature and intrude their rightful space."
"That surely did hurt. Fool," wrote another user.
"She deserved what she got," argued one user.
Elephants are incredibly intelligent animals, as evidenced by previous videos showing elephants using their trunks to peel bananas, but they have also wreaked havoc on both tourists and locals.
Elephants have reportedly killed people by trampling them underfoot, charged at others, and turned over cars in the past.
They are primarily recognized as gentle giants, though. The beasts, which may reach thousands of pounds when fully grown, also have a sense of humor. They have been shown in viral videos disrupting television shows with their nosy trunks.