Sunday August 9 2009 / A Little Levity
Elephants in the lobby at the luxury Mfuwe Lodge in Zambia
For most of the year there is little to distinguish Mfuwe Lodge in Zambia from similar luxurious game park accommodation in the region, but every November that changes . . . it changes BIG time!
When the lodge was constructed, nobody realized that it the nearby patch of mango trees was visited in November each year (when the fruit was ripe) by a family of elephants.
The open plan construction was built directly on the elephants habitual path and, as they were there first, they saw no reason to make a detour. Every November they walk straight through the lobby up to four times a day.
The matriarchal of the herd is 'Wonky Tusk', and she brings the nine others through to the mangos. They then come and go as they please for four to six weeks.
Guests are kept at a safe distance, but still more than close enough to see what is going. The elephants are completeéy wild and have not been tamed but there have been no problems.
For more information, please visit www.mfuwelodge.com
When the lodge was constructed, nobody realized that it the nearby patch of mango trees was visited in November each year (when the fruit was ripe) by a family of elephants.
The open plan construction was built directly on the elephants habitual path and, as they were there first, they saw no reason to make a detour. Every November they walk straight through the lobby up to four times a day.
The matriarchal of the herd is 'Wonky Tusk', and she brings the nine others through to the mangos. They then come and go as they please for four to six weeks.
Guests are kept at a safe distance, but still more than close enough to see what is going. The elephants are completeéy wild and have not been tamed but there have been no problems.
For more information, please visit www.mfuwelodge.com