A safari guide has captured the incredible moment a tracker leading his safari vehicle came within inches of a huge elephant. The extraordinary footage shows the towering ele slowly waltzing past the vehicle, with the tracker sat exposed on a chair on its bonnet. The male elephant, known locally as Ezulwini which means Heaven in the Zulu vernacular, is in his ‘prime’ and aged around 45 to 50-years-old. Normally, this means the dominant males can be aggressive, particularly to unwanted attention from safari vehicles. A number of videos have shown the animals reacting to cars and even ramming them. But Ezulwini has been dubbed the gentlest giant, as he repeatedly enjoys getting up close and personal with tourists. The unfazed ele can even be seen in the video clip glancing the legs of the safari tracker, Themba Zwane, who freezes in position with his camera after spotting Ezulwini inching closer. But as the group of tourists in the vehicle hold their breath, the gracious animal glides past offering an incredible encounter. Matthew Sussens, a safari guide who grew up in the Greater Kruger area, captured the incredible moment in the neighboring Balule Nature Reserve.
