The elephant who came to tea… and forgot his table manners

There’s not a lot you can do when a bull elephant decides to gatecrash your evening meal. This elephant gave a Northern Irishman, his wife and in-laws a shock when it charged them as they were eating. Stephen Montague, 39, and his American wife Shannon are travelling with family members around Mana Pools, a wildlife park in northern Zimbabwe. They had been eating a meal when the elephant walked slowly on to the scene, apparently searching for food on the ground. The elephant’s table manners deserted him and he swung his trunk around, knocking people out of their chairs.

One of the guards threw it something but that made it bolder and it headed over to the table.

Mr Montague’s mother Patricia

Mr Montague, who moved to California earlier this year, and his brother-in-law Shane Wolf were thrown from their chairs when the elephant moved over to where they were sitting and swung its trunk at them. Mr Wolf was hurt by the elephant’s tusks but, other than that, the group had a lucky escape and remained remarkably calm. Elephants are not usually aggressive, although, according to National Geographic, it is thought around 500 people are still killed by them each year.

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