Many years ago, I worked at a very well-known zoo. I have a couple crazy stories, but this one is really amazing.

The zoo at which I worked had four asian elephants (all female) who, at one time, had to be separated because the alpha started getting increasingly violent and aggressive in her behavior towards the beta female (the lowest in the pecking order) to the point that the beta was in danger of being killed. Literally.

So they divided the group into two pairs, everybody was happy. Alas, the higher-ups at the zoo decided that four elephants is better (and brings more visitors) than two, and thus told the elephant handlers to make it happen. They protested that it was dangerous, that it wouldn't happen, etc, but it fell on deaf ears.

So, on the morning they were to be reintroduced (I'm skipping the whole program of slowly letting them get used to the opposite pairs), the Director of the zoo, along with all the managers and a film crew were in the elephant house to watch it all happen. I was there that day, too.

The 5-ton hydraulic doors slowly opened, and in lumbered the elephants. There was a tense moment where nobody really knew what to expect, but they seemed to be getting along fine and there was a collective sigh of relief.

Short-lived, it turned out. There was the loudest noise I've ever heard in person as the alpha trumpeted and charged the beta, ramming into her with violence I can't describe. Imagine watching two dinosaurs get into a fight, but for real. There was blood everywhere. Then the beat starting shitting. Everywhere. She was terrified and her bowels evacuated. I'm not good at guessing volumes, but it was a whole lot.

They knocked the hydraulic doors off the hinges and broke everything in the cage. When they finally pried them apart (the elephant handler actually walked in and yelled at them), it looked like a bomb went off.

End of story. I had to clean up all the shit.