Touched by an ellie

THERE cannot be too many people in the world who can honestly claim to have hosted an elephant in their lounge for a surprise ‘nightcap’.

But for Françoise Malby-Anthony, Owner of the exclusive Thula Thula Game Reserve, baby elephant ‘Tom’ came knocking on her door for help on Monday night in a heart-warming tale of bravery and intuition.

Mysteriously separated from her herd, the week-old baby had been wandering for almost 18 hours in the African wild before she was guided by what can only be described as her ‘invisible dad’.

With the legacy of conservationist Lawrence Anthony still alive in his home Thula Thula, his spirit two years later continues to touch the mammals he sacrificed his life to save.

It is unfathomable how a starving, dehydrated and visibly stressed baby Tom found his way to Anthony’s house but it was as if the ‘Elephant Whisperer’ above had led him home to safety.

In an exclusive interview with Anthony’s wife Françoise Malby-Anthony on Tuesday, she described her amazement when Chef Tom Xulu told her the baby elephant had tried to knock at her door at 9pm.

‘I was in my PJs and baby Tom (named after our chef) was wandering in my garden. We decided to put her in a safe place in my house to stabilise her,’ said Malby-Anthony.

After being fed, the ellie visibly exhausted had a ‘good nap’.

Once the game rangers had located the herd, a rescue mission was planned with David Bozas, former head ranger, who had worked closely with Lawrence, leading the operation.

‘The area where the herd was located was dense with bush so we thought it best to get the herd to us. I wasn’t sure if they would remember what Lawrence used to call them but I decided to use the same words,’ said Bozas.

When he called ‘Hello my babas’, the herd reportedly stopped and approached them.

At 1am, Baby Tom was reunited with her family. However, the emotional connection with her rescuers at Thula Thula was not forgotten.

‘She kept chasing the van. So I decided to stand with her until she joined the herd and was safely reunited with mum,’ said Bozas.

While it is not known why baby Tom wandered from the herd, Bozas said it was not uncommon. ‘Elephants are good mothers. It is possible the little one could have gotten lost while playing with a branch. When she realised she had wandered from the herd, she could have panicked and run away, said Bozas.