Elephant's Selfie With Man in Thailand Goes Viral
Christian LeBlanc was traveling in Thailand when the shot was taken.
— -- What happens when an elephant grabs your GoPro camera while you are busy feeding it bananas? You become the owner of what could be the world’s first elephant selfie.
The elephant “took” the selfie in Thailand while being fed bananas by Christian LeBlanc, a 22-year-old college student from Vancouver, British Columbia.
LeBlanc, a business major at the University of British Columbia, was on Koh Phangan Island when he says he and his girlfriend “came across a couple of elephants” and bought a 50 cent basket of bananas to feed them.
The rest is selfie history.
“The elephant quickly ate what little bananas I had and become touchy trying to find more food,” LeBlanc told ABC News. “Next thing I knew it grabbed my GoPro by the mount...My GoPro was set to continuous shooting so when the elephant grabbed my camera, the result was the world’s first ever ‘Elphie!'"
"I got the selfie of a lifetime, which I can't take full credit for," LeBlanc said. “Elephants are incredibly intelligent and it definitely makes you wonder if it was a conscious action.”
LeBlanc took the photo two months ago and it has since gained worldwide attention.
“I still cannot believe the photo happened or that it has gained the global media attention it has,” said LeBlanc, who is posting his travels on Instagram and YouTube.
The Canadian was in Thailand for a study abroad program. With his semester of studies complete, LeBlanc says he is now traveling throughout Asia and has already captured another “epic” selfie.
“This time with the world’s largest fish, the whale shark,” LeBlanc said, noting that he took this selfie himself, with no help from the animal.