Arnold Schwarzenegger charged by elephant

Arnold Schwarzenegger got chased by an elephant in South Africa.

The ‘Terminator’ star – who is the country promoting the Arnold Sports Festival, a multi-national, multi-sport athletic event that took place in Johannesburg over the weekend –

had a terrifying encounter with the mammal when it blocked the road in front of his group’s car, before walking around the vehicle and chasing it as it drove away.

He shared a video of the incident on YouTube on Tuesday (05.31.16) and wrote: "I couldn’t have written this safari encounter better if it was a movie."

The clip shows the driver shutting off the engine to avoid scaring the bull elephant, but when he turns the car back on the animal, it bellows and backs away.

One passenger could be heard asking: "Is he backing up because of the engine?"

The driver tries to reassure his passengers by saying he’s worried about the animal scratching the vehicle, but Arnold, 68, replied: "No, he’s going to charge us."

As the car sped away with the elephant behind, the actor could be heard exclaiming: "Oh s**t".

While the encounter was nerve-wracking for those in the car, the former Governor of California went on to stress how much he is "in awe" of elephants.

He wrote: "I’m absolutely in awe of these beautiful, strong animals, even though some of us had to change our pants after this.

"We need to stop killing them – take a photo, not a shot. Would you rather be able to experience these creatures or a hunk of ivory? I thought so."

The ‘Expendables’ star has been documenting his trip to South Africa on Instagram, with pictures including him petting a lion and laying chess with "the most intimidating person" – a pre-teen girl.

He also visited the home of the late Nelson Mandela and shared a picture of himself next to the late former President’s portrait.

He wrote: "It was an honor to visit the home of one of my heroes today. We should all strive to emulate the grace Mandela showed in his commitment to public service.(sic)"