Elephant Takes Mango Filled Purse from Teen

Occurred on December 27, 2019 / Pinnawala, Sri Lanka

Info from Licensor: "I was visiting the Pinnawala Elephant Orphanage in Sri Lanka in late December of 2018. I had bought mangos outside of the orphanage and put them in my purse for later. I approached a young male elephant who was behind a metal railing. He was chained because he is a male going through a musth period. This period is when male elephants experience sexual aggression. To protect the safety of other elephants and staff, and to prevent inbreeding between the elephants, he was chained, but only temporarily. This is a third world country and to protect the staff and visitors this is their method that are 100% safe for the elephants. Sri Lankan’s have had elephants as a part of their history for thousands of years and know the best methods. Standing in front of the elephant, he could smell my mangos in my purse. I thought he was giving me a hug so I stood there for a second with his trunk across my body. He snatched my purse and I thought that I could pull it back but instead, I was swung from side-to-side. I made sure my phone wasn’t in the purse and I let go of the purse and he ate my mangos. Yes, I got my purse back from one of the staff members. I was not harmed at all and the elephant had no intentions of being violent. The elephant is much stronger than I am and this is a result of that."