Before we begin this article, which is being written because, according to search trend statistics, it is one that people look for answers to, it is worth clarifying that elephant do not necessarily attack humans in the sense that there is a concerted effort on the part of elephant to cause this conflict or in the sense that there is a statistically noticeable instance rate of elephant on human attacks.
Largely by virtue of their size, elephant enjoy the privilege of being more comfortable in their surroundings than do other creatures who may more often feel themselves threatened. This more often than not translates to the quiet confidence we often call the ‘gentleness’ of these giants. They are not so easily driven to violence or the threat of it as buffalo are, for example.
However, also probably in part owing to their great size and the confidence it gives off, elephant are wont to wander wherever, unchecking their routes as they encounter obstacles other animals might warily steer clear of.
So, elephant do come into contact with human beings quite often. This brings the capacity for conflict, of course. With Africa’s peoples increasingly turning to arable farming instead of a more pastoralist mode of existence – which was far more prevalent in the past – this capacity for conflict only grows.
So, elephant do attack humans but that phraseology, chosen because it best reflects the question asked of the Internet’s search engines, is better considered as ‘In what situations will a human/elephant interaction turn violent?’
Below are a description of certain situations in which human elephant interactions can turn violent.