This is the unbelievable moment a fearless safari guide coaxed away an elephant after the massive beast deemed him to be trampled.
Eugene Troskie, 34, was repairing the wooden perimeter of a waterhole in the Lions Place motel in Greater Kruger National Park, South Africa when a herd of elephants ran past.
In an effort not to be spotted by the animals, the field instructor sat next to a tree.
But an inquisitive youngster noticed him.
In the clip, two elephants stand around the waterhole as Mr. Troskie quietly filmed them.
The elephant closest to him suddenly stopped and turned his head towards Mr. Troskie, who was still crouching.
The huge beast walked slowly toward him, taking slow, tentative steps.
It then stopped and turned its head towards Mr. Troskie, who was still silently filming.
The elephant moved even closer to him before stepping over the short wooden barricade where Mr. Troskie was sitting.
The elephant touched the guide’s leg with its trunk before lifting its other foot over the step.
It lifted its front left foot off the ground and gave three quick kicks to the guide.
Before the giant could set his foot on the ground, Mr. Troskie, with a cool head, boldly shooed the creature out and told it to ‘go on.’
As it left, the retreating elephant let out a loud bang from its trunk.
Mr. Troskie, from Bethlehem, South Africa, said: ‘I was extremely nervous when he started kicking me.’
‘I knew I had to do something to get him to back off because if I didn’t react, he could have easily stepped on my leg and crushed it.
‘I am an experienced professional and took into account the risks of doing this, even though the interaction was unplanned.
“Fortunately, the elephant was not aggressive, just curious.
‘I wanted the herd to drink water and walk away again, but this didn’t go as planned.’