A protective mother elephant trumpeted at a passing motorist when escorting her baby across a road at night in China.

The video was filmed in Xishuangbanna Dai Autonomous Prefecture in Yunnan Province on January 8.

According to the motorist named Su, he and his family working in Guangdong Province drove around 552 kilometres back to their hometown in Hunan Province for the incoming Chinese New Year.

When they were driving along the national highway in Xishuangbanna Dai Autonomous Prefecture, a mother elephant was trying to use her trunk to pull her baby trapped in a ditch out.

Since Su thought elephants are very gentle and wanted his family to take a look closely. So he turned the car light on and drove to approach the elephant slowly, regardless of his family‘s opposition.

The mother elephant then turned around and walked toward Su's car, while trumpeting.

Su then reversed his car to try to avoid the elephants and finally sped up to leave after the mother elephant and her baby finished crossing.

The video was provided by local media with permission.

1月8日，在广东上班的苏先生带着家人自驾回湖南老家过年，在前往西双版纳的路上夜遇路边野象，当时小象掉进了沟里，母象在鼻子拉滑到沟里的小象出来。苏先生一直认为大象很温顺，他不听家人劝阻开车灯慢慢靠近野象，想让家人近距离观看。这时，高大的母象突然转身朝车奔来，好像要掀翻车辆。
苏先生为避开野象和幼崽，曾多次试图绕行，均被大象阻拦跟随。最终，只能往后倒车，等大象和幼崽安全穿过道路后，才加速离开。幸好，全家人都无恙……
事后，苏先生坦言当时处理不当，后怕之余又觉得庆幸，如果当时旁边还有公象，或者有象群的话，后果不堪设想。