A tourist in Sri Lanka recently experienced an unexpected reaction from a one-ton elephant who wasn’t keen on being filmed.
The man, smiling for his video on a selfie stick, got a surprise slap from the elephant’s trunk as he leaned in for a closer shot.
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At the start of the video, a group of tourists gathered around the elephant, which was fenced off for safety.
A woman in a yellow top gently stroked the elephant, which seemed calm and relaxed. However, when a bearded man wearing glasses tried to sneak in for a selfie, the elephant responded with a swift, powerful trunk swipe, hitting the man right on the head.
The amusing moment was captured on the tourist’s camera, drawing chuckles from others watching from a safer distance. Fortunately, the man appeared unhurt.
Selfie sticks are a common sight, but not everyone is a fan; a 2022 study by Teletext Holidays found that nearly 28% of holidaymakers find the gadgets annoying.
Although there’s no formal research on animals’ attitudes toward selfie sticks, some elephants seem curious.
In one instance last year, an elephant at Victoria Falls picked up a selfie stick dropped by South African tourist Adrian Fowler, returning it with the camera still rolling to capture a unique perspective dubbed an “elphie.”
Originally patented in 1983, selfie sticks have become so popular that some historic sites, like the Palace of Versailles and Britain’s National Gallery, have prohibited their use.
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