- Lucky tortoise miraculously survives an elephant stampede in South Africa
- Herd of elephants narrowly miss tortoise as they drink from watering hole
- Video captured the heart of viewers watching on WildEarth live webcam
A lucky tortoise narrowly avoided being stamped on by a herd of elephants as they drink at a watering hole in South Africa.
The live footage, which was broadcast on WildEarth, starts as the tortoise takes a drink from the hole at Kwa Maritane lodge in South Africa.
A rumbling noise can be heard and we see the slow moving creature try to make his way to the nearby bushes.
We then see him stop in his tracks as the herd of elephants come into the shot and start drinking from the watering hole, leaving the tortoise stuck in beneath their feet.
It is not clear whether the elephants know the tortoise is there or if they think he’s a rock they need to avoid but amazingly, the 6,000 kg animals avoid crushing his shell.
The tortoise continues to be lightly nudged a number of times by their feet for a minute or so until the herd moves upstream.
The tortoise was filmed on live webcam at Kwa Maritane lodge in South Africa as he took a drink from a watering hole
We hear a rumbling noise off camera and the turtle tries to make his way to the safety of the bushes only to be caught in the middle of the herd as they drink from the hole
The tortoise is lightly nudged a number of times by the elephant’s feet as they drink at the hole for a minute or so until they moves upstream, leaving the tortoise unharmed
When the coast is clear, the lucky tortoise immediately sees his escape path and flees back to the safety of the surrounding bush.
The viral video was shared on YouTube and received over 100,000 views and racked up hundreds of comments from social media users.
One said: ‘I’m sure the elephants don’t want to step on the tortoise almost as much as he doesn’t want to be stepped on!’
Another joked that the turtle must have seen his life flash before his eyes but it was probably ‘very slow’.