Pictured: Elephants march through hotel lobby after it was built on their
migration trail
By Mail Foreign Service
Last updated at 5:54 PM on 01st October 2008
These amazing pictures show why you shouldn't get between an African
elephant and its favourite food.
Mfuwe Lodge in Zambia happens to have been built next to a mango tree that
one family of pachyderms have always visited when the fruit ripens.
When they returned one year and found the luxury accommodation in the way,
they simply walked through reception.
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Let the porter grab your trunk: An elephant wanders through Mfuwe Lodge, in
the South Luangwa National Park, Zambia
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The animals came in two-by-two: Hotel staff and visitors have got used to
the elephants' impromptu strolls through reception
Now the family group, headed by matriarch Wonky Tusk, return every November
to gorge on mangos - up to four times a day.
Andy Hogg, 44, director at the Bushcamp Company that runs the Lodge, has
lived in South Luangwa National Park since 1982.
But in all his years of dealing with wild animals he has never seen such
intimate interaction between man and beast.
'This is the only place in the world where elephants freely get so close to
humans,' says the 44-year-old.
'The elephants start coming through base camp in late November of each year
to eat the mangos from our trees.
'When they are ripe they come through and they stand about for four to six
weeks coming back each day or second day to eat the mangos.'
Living in the 5,000 square mile national park, the ten-strong elephant herd
are led to the lodge each day by Wonky Tusk.
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Migration route: The hotel was built directly in the path of the elephants'
route to one of their favourite foods - mangos
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'The most interesting thing about this is that they are wild animals and are
certainly not tame,' explains Andy.
'They come through the lodge to eat the fruit.
'There are ten in that herd and it is only that herd that comes through. It
is a strange thing.
'The matriarchal in the herd is Wonky Tusk, and she brings the nine others
through and they come and go as they please.'
Mfuwe Lodge consists of seven camps and the base camp where the elephants
come through.
Employing 150 staff, the management of the lodge are happy to report that
there have been no incidents involving the elephants to date.
'The elephants do get reasonably close to the staff as you can see with the
pictures of the elephants near the reception,' he explains.
'But we do not allow the guests to get too close.'
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Check-in: But it's unlikely the lodge has a room big enough for its elephant
guests
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'Guests can stand in the lounge are but as long as there is a barrier
between the elephants and the guests that is okay,' he added.
'The elephants are not aggressive but you don't want to tempt anything as
they are wild animals.
'It is the elephants choice to come into base camp and they have been doing
it for the last ten years.
'There are other wild mango trees around and they seem to prefer this one.'
And even thought the lodge was unwittingly built upon the path, Andy says
they had no idea the elephants would insist on returning.
'It wasn't a design mistake - no-one really knew they were going to come
through,' he says.
'The lodge was built and then the elephants started coming through
afterwards.
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Gentle giants: The leader of the ten-strong herd is matriarch Wonky Tusk
'We keep people at a safe distance. They are obviously close enough to see
what is going on from pretty close quarters but we also make sure we have staff
around to make sure the elephants don't get too close.
'But as I said they are still wild and still dangerous. They are huge beasts
and untamed.
'We have bricks and walls between the elephants and the guests such as the
counter and other barriers to stop them getting to people and if they try to
there is enough time for people to get away.'
Naturally, the lodge becomes a busier attraction for both elephants and
guests during November time.
'We find that we get more people visiting us during the elephant migration
because of the unique experience of being so close to wild animals in an unusual
environment,' says Andy.
'But as I said this is a totally natural phenomenon, the elephants come here
of their own accord and it is certainly a rare but magnificent sight.'
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Mfuwe Lodge: The hotel is set in an idyllic national parkland
HUMOUR - HOMEPAGE
