生死瞬間 揹包客野外對峙南非巨象

This is the dramatic moment tourists on a safari stood their ground against a charging African Bull Elephant. Rather than flee, these hikers at Kruger National Park in South Africa put aside their fears and faced down the raging mammal after they stumbled upon the creature in the bush. And the onlookers kept their cool while one of the tourists captured the moment on a video camera when the beast squared-up to the group.

對這些遠征旅行隊成員而言這絕對是個驚心動魄的時刻，此時他們面前正站著一頭及具攻擊性的非洲公象。這些身處南非克魯格國家公園的揹包客們在偶然發現灌木叢中的龐然大物後並沒有倉皇逃跑，而是克服恐懼馴服了這頭憤怒的公象。一位隊員用攝像機記錄了這頭公象準備歸隊的時刻而其他人則保持冷靜。

The elephant then let out a roar while a guide aimed a rifle at its head to presumably keep the holidaymaker group from running away into the wild. After, the Bull Elephant - which can weigh up to 5.5 tons - turned away in the stand-off over a number of seconds, and the amateur filmmaker can be heard whispering: 'Everyone's able to breathe now.’

導遊用來福槍指著公象的頭部，防止公象有所舉動嚇得度假人員慌忙跑進野地，而這一舉動引起了公象的不滿發出陣陣吼聲。當這頭5.5噸重的公象在對峙了數秒離開後，這些業餘電影製片人聽到有人小聲說道“現在大家可以呼吸了。”

Cornel Rademeyer, the group's walking safari guide, in a supposed respect for the raging mammal, said to the tour group: 'We don't hunt elephants – he came to us. After the animal squared-off and beat back into the bush, the tourists can be later seen smiling and breathing a sigh of relief at the frightening moment which put them in a head-to-head with the beast. Luckily for all involved they walked away with their lives and have the terrifying moment on film to look back on in the years ahead.

卡摩·李德梅爾是這隻徒步遠征對的導遊，他似乎對這頭憤怒的公象十分敬畏。他對團隊說：“我們不要傷害大象，它朝我們過來了。”當這頭龐然大物轉身回到灌木叢後所有旅行者都送了一口氣開始露出笑容大口喘氣。他們真是經歷了一個驚心動魄的時刻，居然同一頭公象“狹路相逢”。幸運的是所有人都成功脫險，並且他們也將把這一駭人時刻記錄在電影裡留著來年回顧

And unlike most tourists who come away from safaris with only snaps from wild animals at a distance, this group have a video to show their family and friends that show they got 'the real' experience. But German tourists last year at Kruger National Park had a more violent stand-off with an elephant. The rampaging mammal reacted with fury to a car the group was travelling in. The wild beast stormed on to the dust track the holidaymakers were driving on and charged straight at their vehicle.

與大多數參加遠征旅行的人不同，這組旅行隊並不是遠遠地站著看上幾眼野生動物了事，而是用影像記錄下動物們的生活以此證明他們與野生動物真正來了一次親密接觸。但是去年同樣在克魯格國家公園，一群德國旅行者與這頭大象發生了極為嚴重的對峙。暴怒的公象瘋狂襲擊了旅行隊的一輛汽車，隨後又衝進灌木叢追著開車逃離的遊客並不斷攻擊他們的車輛。

Video footage captured the moment the five-tonne bull elephant smashed its way in to the car using only one of its dagger-sharp tusks. Wildlife watchers inside the vehicle yelled 'Drive, drive, drive!' and fled the elephant, which had just fought off a rival at Kruger National Park in South Africa.

連續鏡頭記錄了這頭重達5噸的公象襲擊車輛的畫面，它僅用一隻如刀般鋒利的象牙就夠到了車輛。車輛中的野生動物觀察者大叫‘快開車！快！快！’，他們終於擺脫了公象，而公象則朝著克魯格國家公園裡的一條河走去。

One of the Germans quipped as they sped away: 'I think we lost the deposit. Nobody was injured in the incident, despite broken glass showering the interior of the vehicle. Bull elephants have tusks up to 5ft long which are often used for goring rivals in battles for supremacy of Africa's vast plains and savannahs. Male elephants grow up to 13ft in height and often over females.

但這群德國人倉皇逃跑時一名成員自嘲道：“我想我們只是損失了點錢。沒人在這次意外中受傷，只是玻璃碎了車裡面的狀況一覽無餘。公象的長牙有5英尺長，常用以打敗對手以獲得對非洲植物和其他動物的控制權。公象通常高於母象，能長到13英尺。