A powerful display of strength by an elephant in Kerala has taken the internet by storm. A now-viral video from the Thiruvegappura village in Palakkad district shows an elephant successfully pulling a Toyota Fortuner SUV out of a river, earning admiration across social media platforms.
Elephants have often made headlines whether while being seen in temples, stopping vehicles in the middle of roads to collect 'toll tax', or, as in a recent clip breaking through an electric fence with remarkable ease.
Adding to these instances, this new video captures another moment of the jumbo and its power.
Take a look at the video
All you need to know
The video, shared on Instagram by the user Saidokya90, shows a white first-generation Toyota Fortuner stuck in a shallow river, with only the front left visibly submerged in water.
Instead of a crane doing the rescue work, an elephant was given the task. A rope was tied from the SUV’s front tow hook to the elephant, which then used its trunk to grab the rope and pull with incredible force.
While people praised the animal’s strength, nobody questioned people using the elephant instead of a rescue vehicle.
Within minutes, the vehicle, reportedly weighing between 2,105 kg and 2,135 kg, was dragged out of the water body. Auto enthusiasts note that the Toyota Fortuner’s gross vehicle weight can go up to 2,735 kg, making the elephant’s feat all the more impressive.
The video has since garnered over 2 million views and more than 1 lakh likes on Instagram. Viewers were left stunned, with many commenting: “It’s not horsepower, it’s elephant power.”
