A LITTLE ITCH and A VW POLO.

email sent by Piyusha Atapatthu

Watch out. This is the season of itchy elephants.

When an Elephant Needed a Tummy Rub ... ... .... This is the moment a bull elephant decided to scratch an itch on a parked car. The two terrified occupants of this VW Polo found themselves in the wrong place at the wrong time as a giant elephant stooped down to rub itself against the vehicle's roof and bonnet. The incredible images were taken by Armand Grobler, 21, a field guide and lodge manager, in Pilanesburg National Park in South Africa.   There were two people inside the car at the time the massive bull elephant started playing with it….'Yet even though it was in this condition, it displayed no signs of aggression or frustration and was in a more playful mood.'Elephants frequently use logs, small trees and rocks to relieve an itch or remove parasites - but with the car so close to hand, it was a chance too good to pass up. Mr Grobler added: 'We were unsure of what to do in the situation when the elephant made contact with the car, and when the car was being crushed, we feared for the lives of the driver and passenger but our efforts were very limited as to what we could do. 'The all-round emotion that was within our vehicle, as we watched in horror, was that we were rushed with adrenaline yet terrified and helpless. After the elephant had finished the car was left with 4 blown tires and a broken chassis . The photos were taken by Armand Grobler, a field guide and lodge manager in Pilanesburg, South Africa. The two passengers in the car, male and female, both in late 20's or early 30's, were not harmed, only badly shaken up. They were both in shock but happy to be alive. 'The car was not so lucky. From what we could see and hear, all the windows were smashed, the roof was badly dented and the entire top part of the car smashed…..'All four tyres had been blown and the chassis broken.' As for the elephant, after giving itself a good scratch, it continued on its way itch free , oblivious to the destruction it had left behind

PS

I met an old doctor who in the 1950s was District Medical Officer at Medagama, Sri Lanka. One night he was driving his Morris Minor, toward Medagama, after a visit to the DMO Buththala, a neighbouring station. A male elephant blocked the highway at ‘Anapallama’ and the herd was close by. He stopped the car and waited. The elephant advanced, felt the hot bonnet of the car with it’s trunk, turned round and placed its rear in the hot area. It pushed the car down when it tried to sit on the hot area. The doctor meantime had quietly opened the door of the car ran and hid under a culvert close by. After rubbing its rear to its satisfaction the elephant sauntered away with its herd. The doctor got back into his car and raced all the way to Buttala. He said that the car did not even have a dent on its body. Cars were made stronger in the 1950s.