Geez, you mob are a tough audience tonight

[The Bigfella]

A bloke gets tossed by a bull elephant.... and its nary a murmur..



I got that right tusk in the left leg.... lucky to get away with a scrape



.... didn't even get any sympathy from the missus. The plan is to have a duller day today. I'm going tiger spotting.

[BrianW]

Yikes! Glad you're okay.

Now, why were you so close ya silly? Did that chain break?

[Flying Orca]

Uh, Ian? Maybe don't tangle with the biggerfellas?

[ChrisBen]

I bet you coulda taken him. He doesn't look much bigger than the bike an he got two legs tide behind his back. Just the excuse you need for another massage. Go easy on the tigers an easier on yerself. You got more miles to go.

[Paul Girouard]

You need to explain how this happened or we'll claim it photo shopped!

[LeeG]

couldn't you have just honked your horn?

[Nicholas Scheuer]

Post again when that "Bull" gets bigger.

Seriously, glad you're OK.

[Tom Montgomery]

I don't get it. You are in Australia, correct? Who allows you to get close to a bull Asian elephant on a motorcycle?

Tomorrow is tiger spotting?

Please tell us the rest of the story.

[Old Dryfoot]

He didn't mean no harm... he was just looking for a ride. That was the elephant equivalent of hitchhiking.

[The Bigfella]

How it happened? I took an idiot pill. Familiarity bred complacency. I'd stopped and photographed and played with several smaller elephants. This bloke was a bit boisterous and decided he'd play tossems... with the bike and me on it. It could have been very, very ugly... he pinned my left leg with his right tusk. If I hadn't reefed it out just before he tossed us, I'd have been skewered.

I hadn't picked up on this guy's chain being much longer than the others I'd stopped at. I got clear (in a hurry) once he'd tossed us... then had a "wonderful" five minutes or so trying to keep his chain off my bike... and distracting him so he didn't stomp it. He was just prodding it with his foot when I took this shot.

A couple of handlers came over and got him away so I could pick the bike up and escape.

The visiting Professor said I'm lucky he didn't kill me. 4 yo bulls have a charming habit of wanting to do headstands on people's chests. She was impressed with the tusk scrape on my leg too.... said it was amazing I didn't get skewered.

So... in the spirit of having a quieter day, I'm totally ignoring whatever it is just outside my hut's door. It sounds big, but I don't care.... I'm waiting till the sun comes up before I go tiger spotting.

[Paul Pless]

Brilliant! A new test for the Katoom!
So how'd it fair???

[The Bigfella]

I don't get it. You are in Australia, correct? Who allows you to get close to a bull Asian elephant on a motorcycle?

Tomorrow is tiger spotting?

Please tell us the rest of the story.

I'm at the Way Kampas National Park in South Sumatra (on my way to Laos). I rode the bike here from Australia.

This National Park is beautiful.... and funnily enough, that government-owned elephant camp is in the National Park. The Prof. says its a good camp compared to some she's seen.

No - I couldn't honk the horn. Things happened quickly. He put his head down, pinned my leg, which I ripped out from behind his tusk.... and he just tossed us. Wheeee... splat.

I'll upload a photo of a 6 week old elephant later. The Prof said that the baby pushed an adult over yesterday.

No more elephants!

As for the tigers here. This is apparently one of three main spots for tigers in the wild in Sumatra. Chances of seeing one are very slim because its mainly jungle here.... but one of the staff here had one cross the road 5 metres in front of his bike a couple of km from here.

[ChrisBen]

I don't get it. You are in Australia, correct? Who allows you to get close to a bull Asian elephant on a motorcycle?

Tomorrow is tiger spotting?

Please tell us the rest of the story.

Huh?? Youv'e been missing this trip? A few photos - Cape York & on towards Asia

[Tom Montgomery]

Yep. I missed this trip until now. Thnx, ChrisBen.

[The Bigfella]

Brilliant! A new test for the Katoom!
So how'd it fair???

I haven't looked it over yet Paul... but it tracked OK up to 140kph on the way back (I was in shorts, shoes and no helmet... so didn't want to go too hard... gotta ride safe, you know)

I lost a bit of petrol... and I saw a bit of a cut in the fuel tank which I guess was from the chain. I thought I heard breaking glass as we hit the ground... but there isn't any (poly mirrors and headlights).... Sun's just come up, but there was something big just outside my door just before sunrise... so I'll wait a few minutes yet.

My leg is damn sore from where I reefed it out from behind the tusk

[The Bigfella]

OK... its explore time.

Back later....

The plan for today is to avoid being recycled as tiger poop

I'm going to organise a guide and a boat and go down the river.

[BrianW]

Sun's just come up, but there was something big just outside my door just before sunrise... so I'll wait a few minutes yet.

Spider?

[Paul Pless]

The plan for today is to avoid being recycled as tiger poop

Howda pistol perhaps?

[Donn]

Mother always said "Don't get your dirt bike too close to the elephants."

As usual, she was right.

[The Bigfella]

Yeah... Mum always said "make sure you've always got clean underwear on.... you never know when an elephant's going to gore you"

[Paul Girouard]

How it happened? I took an idiot pill. Familiarity bred complacency. I'd stopped and photographed and played with several smaller elephants. This bloke was a bit boisterous and decided he'd play tossems... with the bike and me on it. It could have been very, very ugly... he pinned my left leg with his right tusk. If I hadn't reefed it out just before he tossed us, I'd have been skewered.

I hadn't picked up on this guy's chain being much longer than the others I'd stopped at. I got clear (in a hurry) once he'd tossed us... then had a "wonderful" five minutes or so trying to keep his chain off my bike... and distracting him so he didn't stomp it. He was just prodding it with his foot when I took this shot.

A couple of handlers came over and got him away so I could pick the bike up and escape.

The visiting Professor said I'm lucky he didn't kill me. 4 yo bulls have a charming habit of wanting to do headstands on people's chests. She was impressed with the tusk scrape on my leg too.... said it was amazing I didn't get skewered.

So... in the spirit of having a quieter day, I'm totally ignoring whatever it is just outside my hut's door. It sounds big, but I don't care.... I'm waiting till the sun comes up before I go tiger spotting.

Almost a Darwin Award winner , we'd have been so proud had you been successful in your endeavor to claim the award, just think a Wooden Boatie bringing home the award!!! Damned the bad luck eh Ian , LOL , >>>> Tongue firmly in cheek<<<<<<

[seanz]

What's grey and comes in buckets?


Glad you're OK Ian. Hell, what's a little adventure without a little adventure?


This has made me think though........which is more badass; to get gored by an elephant in Indonesia or (as happenend to a mate) bitten by a Leopard Seal on a Sub-Antarctic Island?

[The Bigfella]

Just discussing this with the Prof again. She reckons he weighs close on 4,000lbs. Tossing the bike (and me) wasn't too much effort.

I've found where his other tusk scraped across the bike and ripped a sticker off.

[Paul Pless]

Could have been worse Ian, much worse. . .

[The Bigfella]

Sorry to bust your bubble Paul.... the Prof says that's a totally fake video. She says for one thing, elephants don't like being touched there.... and he'd have been dead in a flash... and, btw.... their sphincters are a bit tighter than that