US politician flees elephant charge

A US senator has been forced to flee a herd of elephants after his convoy was charged down while on safari.

Jeff Flake came face to face with the angry herd in Mozambique.

"Go, it's a real charge guys," the politician says, seemingly not realising at first the imminent danger.

A baby elephant runs alongside the huge, tusked adults, suggesting the charge was instigated by a mother protecting its young.

Ironically Flake, a Republican from Arizona, is in Africa on a fact finding mission about wildlife poaching.

He and Delaware Democrat Chris Coons have a bill before Congress to fund ways to stop the practice.

"These elephants have no respect for a fellow Republican. No respect, I tell ya," the senator jokingly captioned the video when it was posted this morning.

The elephant is the symbol of the Republican party.