It could be an example of karma. It is all over the news. A male elephant charged at a vehicle carrying tourists in Zambia and unended the vehicle resulting in the death of an 80-year-old female American tourist. Another was injured and flown to hospital.
The karma suggestion is mine being an animal advocate as conservationists have suggested that the park where this happened offers trophy hunting trips and the elephant was retaliating. Elephants are intelligent to the extent where it is believed that they bury their dead.
And they have excellent memories. Could an understanding of trophy hunting of their species have entered their collective memory/consciousness and provoked a confident and more aggressive male to charge this vehicle?
Perhaps the elephant sees all humans as hostile; creatures to attack in order to protect their group. It is obviously very rare but perhaps it is time from the park authorities to reconsider trophy hunting. It is a commercial enterprise that is incompatible with modern views on conservation and about protecting the ever more vulnerable species trying to survive in a human world that is gradually destroying the natural world.
What is karma?
Karma is a concept deeply rooted in Indian religions, including Hinduism, Buddhism, Jainism, and Sikhism. Let’s explore its essence:
- Definition:
- Karma (Sanskrit: कर्म; Pali: kamma) refers to both the executed deed, work, action, act and the intent behind it.
- When you perform an action, it creates a karmic consequence that influences your future experiences.
- Good intentions and virtuous deeds contribute to positive karma, leading to happier rebirths, while harmful intentions and negative actions result in negative karma and less favorable rebirths.
- Karma is often misunderstood as fate, destiny, or predetermination.
- Cause and Effect:
- The principle of cause and effect lies at the heart of karma. Your present actions shape your future experiences.
- In Hinduism, Buddhism, and Jainism, karma affects not only your current life but also the nature and quality of future lives (reincarnation).
- Western popular culture has also embraced this concept, where events following a person’s actions are considered natural consequences.
- Variations:
- Hinduism: Some schools link karma and rebirth, while others consider karma essential but not necessarily tied to rebirth.
- Buddhism: Karma refers to actions driven by intention, whether through body, speech, or mind. It influences future consequences.
- Jainism: Jain karma theory is intricate, emphasizing the soul’s bondage due to karma particles.
- Cultural Motifs:
- Symbols like the endless knot represent the interlinking of cause and effect—a karmic cycle that continues eternally.
- These motifs are common in Asian cultures, reflecting the profound influence of karma.
Remember, karma isn’t just about actions; it’s about the intentions behind those actions, shaping the tapestry of our existence.
The event at Kafue National Park
The video shows a lone male elephant charging towards the moving vehicle as the tourists inside become agitated watching him speed up and head towards them.
One female passenger blurted out: “Oh my goodness, uh, oh”. A male tourists exclaimed: “He’s coming fast!”
There are gasps of astonishment as the elehpant pushes the vehicle over using its strength and tusks. The driver shouts at the elephant presumably to try and put if off.
The elephant’s aggitation was evident as it storms towards them with its ears flapping. Adult elephants can run at 25 mph top speed.
The business organising the trip is Wilderness Safaris. They confirmed that drivers are well trained but that he had no option to drive the vehicle away as the bush was too dense.
An investigation has commenced. The tourists are staying at the Lufupa tent camp in the north of the park near the confluence of the Lufupa and Kafue rivers.
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Karma? Nay… Male elephants in musk, yea… Male elephants become very aggressive during mating season. They will kill anything that gets in their way of mating, even other females and babies. The guides know better but yet it doesn’t stop the tour groups putting people in danger, as long as they make money. As for those rinky dink tour cars, maybe they should use the taller, heavier vehicles like they use to see polar bears. I don’t think open windows and no seat belts is the way to go when looking for wild animals.
I am being philosophical in a very nature-sensitive way. But karma is cause and effect. In general humans abuse nature and nature strikes back eventually (global warming). If people shoot elephants for fun it enters the general consciousness of elephants or if humans overdo the tourist trips (the cause) an elephant may object (the effect). Thanks for commenting.