A Spanish social media influencer has recalled a horrifying encounter with a wild elephant while on a safari in Africa.
While on a visit to Kenya, Ely Fernández, who goes by @ely_traveler on TikTok got too close to a herd of elephants that had wandered into a hotel car park.
While her partner filmed, the woman followed a worker at the hotel up a small hill nearby for a better look at the three elephants.
Suddenly, one of the giant animals rushed at the veterinarian and tried to make a gate away but stumbled and fell.
In a sudden moment, Ms Fernández found herself at the mercy of the rampaging elephant.
Crawling into a ball, she urged the elephant to go away.
The creature reportedly circled her before lashing out with a massive leg which the left the influencer battered and bruised.
She said: “The man kept running and I stayed there. The only thing I could think of was to stay on the ground, curl up into a ball and say, ‘For God’s sake don’t smash my head in.
“He gave me the beating of my life. A kick on one side and a kick on the other.”
She played dead until she was eventually rescued and taken for medical treatment
She said: “I’m all bruised up. My chest hurts, my left kidney… I have bumps and bruises all over
“I was lucky… it was a miracle.”
She added: “I’m amazed because with the ton that animal weighs, I don’t know how I don’t have anything broken.”
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This article by Tim McNulty and Maria Ortega was first published by The Express on 3 October 2023. Lead Image: Spanish Tiktoker survived horror ordeal with elephant (stock image) (Image: Getty).
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