The stretch of road near the city of Korat in Isaan is known for providing some up close and personal experiences with some of nature’s greatest beasts.
Part of the Khao Yai national park, the area is abundant with nature and wildlife – including Asian elephants.
This latest incident from last week is filmed on what seems to be a GoPro camera attached to the head of a motorcyclist, happily driving the country roads around Korat (officially known as Nakhon Ratchasima) with a female passenger behind him.
After passing a cyclist, the pair keep going for a stretch before being surprised by the sudden appearance of an Asian Black Bear sprinting into the centre of the road before them. They swerve to avoid the creature but miss him only by about a metre – causing the beast to roar in consternation.
It’s unknown whether the bear was simply trying to cross the road or whether he had intended to attack the motorbiking pair.
We’re worried about what happened to the cyclist approaching behind them…
Elephant stand-offs are also common in the roads surrounding Khao Yai National Park and can be incredibly frightening, if totally fascinating, thanks to the sheer size and power of the giant elephants as they approach.
This video captured back in 2011 shows how to best deal with such a situation – calmly and collectedly. The video uploader described how the elephant “walked right to the closest guy, kicked his bike with his right foot, then a push with the base of his trunk/forehead the way they uproot trees. Seeing these men didn’t go panic, he decided to walk on, acting like nothing ever happened.
“Tuk, the bike owner in red jacket, was so cool staring at a wild elephant displaying such threat at virtually an arm’s length. The 220 kg bike jumped a little when hit but did not fall over which could trigger a major full-force attack. We were very very lucky the way the whole thing turned out. What a day!”
