Although I wouldn't want to try it, I think a man could escape from an elephant by making sharp turns and cuts often. In fact I wouldn't be surprised if it was possible to stay behind the elephant, just running around it every time it tried to turn and face you.

I have personal experience of a walking safari in Africa. The guide assured us that running in right angles to the chasing elephant is effective escape maneuver. Never in any circumstances climb a tree.

The only real way to escape is not to. Stand STILL. Even though this giant beast of mass proportions may be running at a full pace of 25 mph, he will come to a complete halt if you don't move. I saw it on documentary, the people ran and left the camera tripod behind, the Elephant put the brakes on when the tripod didn't run away.

I have an Indian teacher who really was chased by an elephant. She said it ran way faster than her, but she ran in a zig-zag to escape it, because they are very bad at turning. This is a first hand account

My argument: I am much more shifty than an elephant and would be able to escape if ONE was chasing me in a large field by cutting and weaving. This is one thing you will never see on my tombstone

If the man has a gun...

If you can't out run the elephant in zig zag pattern, just hide in its anus:) Might come out stinky but you will win. MAN WINS AGAIN!!!!!!!!!!!!!

the man can beat an elephant, but that is if the elephant is alone or if the human is prepared. i don't think that the person wanting to fight the elephant will win every time but it counts on how exercised the person is and if they know the right moves. so i wouldn't say that the man will win all the time.

It all comes done to one thing: SUM! If the man has the skill or skills, whether it is speed, creativity,technique, pure genius or a combination of all. If the man facing the animal has the sum that in theory MAN is capable of possessing he can escape. The arguments about speed,size etc. are valid, but in the end Man just need the right "Blend" to escape, whatever this might be.

Average man vs. Average elephant - Odds are favoring the elephant. Elephant can outrun man and has more weight. Man can only escape if he runs in a 90 degree angle from the elephant to or finds a steep high ground to take advantage of the elephant's poor maneuverability.

Average man with vehicle vs. Average elephant - Odds favor man's escape. Most vehicles can outrun elephants.

Average man with gun vs. Average elephant - Man with decent firearms skill wins hands down!

Okay, well first off I think there are a couple of important parameters here.

Firstly, is this encounter by chance, with one stumbling on the other, and having to rely on their natural physical and mental attributes?

Or is it a case that they have time to prepare themselves for conflict?

In the first occasion, as has been mentioned, the elephant has all the strength, bravery and sheer size to destroy a man, even a group of men. Elephants that go on a rampage create chaos, killing and injuring many people, and destroying anything in their way. So if it's just a case of a random encounter, man vs elephant, the man would need to be incredibly agile and swift of thought and body to counter an elephant, and as someone mentioned hiding in its anus is probably your best option. That's what Chuck Norris would do, climb in and roundhouse kick it from the inside.

On the other hand, if man has a chance to prepare, even WITHOUT a gun, most people would be able to create a trap or killing device to take out an elephant. Personally I'd stalk the elephants for a couple days, pick out the weakest ones, then locate their regular feeding and grazing/munching spots. I'd then dig massive holes at these points, while the elephants are busy elsewhere and in my line of sight. I'd take branches and sharpen them to a fashion by breaking the bark and/or using stones, and then place these in the hole, both deep at the bottom, and up the sides. I'd also put all sorts of debris around the pits, encouraging the elephant towards my trap. I'd take sticks, bracken and leaves and cover the pit. Then the real work would begin.

I'd sharpen a branch, carry as many rocks as possible, then get in place. I'd need to chase the elephant towards the pit, or failing that I'd need it to chase me and cause it to fall through my cover. This could easily be achieved by creating a cover that I can run over but the elephant cannot (I'd just dig another shallow hole and test it there). Of course it's always going to be difficult to achieve a victory against an elephant, but I firmly believe it's possible to isolate and trap or incapacitate one of the beasts, they're too clumsy and heavy, and any sort of pit trap would be sufficient to completely ruin their day.

All that being said, the fact remains that elephants dont cause major problems for us, there are tamed elephants, and even in the wild we are able to assess and understand their behaviour such that we can both survive and in some cases thrive alongside them. We dont need to fight, we've already won

Frequently we see the statement that man is an advanced animal, implying he is higher on the evolutionary tree than the others. Let's examine this claim.

Remember that evolution holds that simple forms of life spontaneously arose from non-life. Through mutation and natural selection they increased in complexity to multi-cellular animals to invertebrates to vertebrate fish. Next, some evolved into amphibians, then reptiles, then birds, and mammals. The standard view of evolution considers each stage more "advanced," or more complex than its predecessors until finally man arrives. In reality, however, all animals, living or fossil, are unthinkably complex. Each shows interdependence of functioning parts, each with a marvelous purpose to achieve. Even a single cell is more complex than a super computer. There is no such thing as simple life. If it's alive—it's complex.

Consider the "lowly" insect—pick one. As you study it, you'll discover an undreamed of complexity. Or the extinct arthropod, the trilobite sporting a powerful eye with a complex lens, equally as advanced as any today.

Or consider various mammals—from the whale with an intricate language, to the appreciation of beauty among some birds, to the use of "tools" among some primates—animals exhibit amazing abilities.

Similar traits or organs or abilities are also found in man, although our sight is not as good as the hawk's, our hearing is not as good as a dog's, etc. Each has its own nitch to fill.

Yet man is different. His "higher" characteristics have more to do with his

intelligence, his ability to plan and consider the future, and ability to express emotions. Animal instincts and habits are remarkable, but something sets man apart.

We find this difference explained in the record provided by the Creator of man and the animals. In Genesis One we see that the fish, the birds, the creeping things, the cattle, the beasts of the field, and the beasts of the earth were all created "after their kinds." But when God created man, He created him "after His own image." We often have similar DNA to the animals, similar body parts, similar functions, similar consciousness, similar blood, but the comparison disappears when man's eternal spirit is considered. The animals have nothing like this. Something about man adequately reflects God's nature in a way that the animals don't share.

God created man with the wonderful ability to reason and comprehend abstract thoughts. He alone can speak in a language which communicates his inner yearnings. Most importantly, man can truly love and respond to love, most particularly the love of God. He can recognize his own sinfulness, repent of it, and appreciate God's gracious solution to his sin problem. He can respond to God's love by choosing a life pleasing to Him. Animals, regardless of their cranial capacity, know nothing of this.

Man is qualitatively superior to the animals in many important ways. But he is also quantitatively distinct from all animals.

No, man is not a higher animal. Man is not an animal at all. He is the very image of God, and nothing less.

Cite this article: John D. Morris, Ph.D. 2003. Is Man a "Higher" Animal?. Acts & Facts. 32 (7).

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Well, because the question's a singular, I choose man, because we use man in the collective sense too, while the collective for Elephant is a herd of Elephants. Anyway, rifles go bang.

Man can kill any f------g thing on the whole damn planet, and we do it just for kicks. I mean, we don't need to kill cows and use their skin for clothing. We could wear other stuff. but we do it anyway, and that why we are AWESOME. Elephants are no different.