- Ranger Nick Duranty shared a Facebook video showing guides forcing an elephant off a road in front of tourists
- The guides drove straight at the animal and banged the bonnet of their vehicle until it fled the scene
- Duranty warned the guides could face serious consequences once their identities and exact location are confirmed
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A picture of Nick Duranty and a screenshot taken from the encounter with the elephant.
Images: Nick Duranty
A ranger has slammed a group of safari guides after a video showed them chasing an elephant off a road. The clip was shared on Facebook, and it has left <a href="https://absafricatv.com/the-mexican-meth-factories-hidden-on-south-african-farms/” title=”The Mexican Meth Factories Hidden on South African Farms”>South Africans fuming online.
Guides filmed forcing elephant off busy tourist road
Nick Duranty, a ranger from Gqeberha in the Eastern Cape, posted the video on 17 July 2026. He captioned it as dangerous guiding that puts people’s lives at risk around elephants. The footage shows the tourist vehicle stopping as an elephant crosses the road during a game drive.
Instead of giving the animal space, the guides drove towards it, and one man banged on the bonnet loudly. The elephant eventually backed off but appeared ready to fight back before it left. Duranty said only a genuine emergency should ever justify that kind of behaviour from trained guides.
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He explained that anti-poaching emergencies or injured tourists are the only real exceptions to the rule.Duranty said guidesare supposed to respect animals and give them room to move. He added that this is the wildlife’s home, not the humans’, and guides should know better. Duranty said he could not yet confirm exactly where the incident took place. He added that he plans to investigate further and identify the guides involved.
Mzansi did not hold back in the comments section, with many slamming the guides for their actions. Several users said the elephant would likely be blamed if a future encounter turned violent. Others asked whether the guides could be identified and held accountable for their reckless behaviour.
Watch the Facebook video below:
More articles involving wildlife rangers
- A buffalo bull’s unexpected appearance in Marloth Parkended after a tense encounter with wildlife officials.
- A group of South African rangers got the fright of their lives when a sedated lion began waking up during a transfer.
- South African ranger Nick Duranty called out a womanwho took a baby wombataway from its mother in a video that angered local viewers.
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Jim Mohlala (Editor)Jim Mohlala is a Human Interest writer for Briefly News (joined in 2025). Mohlala holds a Postgraduate Diploma in Media Leadership and Innovation and an Advanced Diploma in Journalism from the Cape Peninsula University of Technology. He started his career working at the Daily Maverick and has written for the Sunday Times and TimesLIVE. Jim has several years of experience covering social justice, crime and community stories. You can reach him at jim.mohlala@briefly.co.za
