A wild Asian elephant knocks over an electric vehicle charging unit at a charging station in Pu'er, Yunnan Province, China. [Kuai Technology]
A wild Asian elephant knocks over an electric vehicle charging unit at a charging station in Pu'er, Yunnan Province, China. [Kuai Technology]

A herd of wild elephants wandered into a car charging station in China, and an adult was caught on camera shoving over a charging unit after a calf got its leg tangled in a charging cable.

According to China's The Beijing News and other outlets, several wild elephants entered a car charging station in Pu'er, Yunnan Province, on Thursday.

A calf in the group caught its leg in a charging cable. The young elephant managed to free itself, but an adult then moved toward the charging equipment.

The adult used its trunk to push over a charging unit, toppling it to the ground. Because the incident occurred immediately after the calf became entangled, locals speculated that the adult had knocked over the equipment to protect the young elephant.

However, it has not been confirmed whether the adult actually toppled the charger to free the calf.

The herd reportedly lingered at the charging station for about 30 minutes before leaving. Some charging cables were damaged in the process. The station operator estimated repair costs at around 20,000 yuan ($2,960).

Local authorities are monitoring the movements of the wild elephant herd.


kacew@heraldcorp.com