It’s not every day that you find a massive elephant taking up space in your kitchen. But for one family in India, this became their reality. Imagine turning the corner in your home and coming face to face with a giant pachyderm. What would you do? This incredible story will take you on a journey of unexpected encounters and the incredible bond between humans and animals. Join us as we explore the wild and wonderful world of “An Elephant In My Kitchen.”
Françoise Malby-Anthony grew up in Paris, a busy city that left little time for nature. Even though she felt that she would end up living in a foreign country, she never imagined ending up in South Africa. However, her wanderlust was ignited by her husband Lawrence Anthony, a South African, whom she met in London in 1987. Just a year later, she gave up her job and chic apartment and moved to Durban, South Africa. Eventually, they bought a game reserve, which they named Thula Thula. They added elephants, rhinos, and hippos to the reserve, and opened up the Elephant Safari Lodge in June 2000.
Everything changed on March 2012, when Lawrence passed away from a sudden heart attack. Françoise was left alone and unsure of what to do without her husband. To make matters worse, poachers shot a three-year-old male rhino calf named Thabo. With no experience handling emergencies and feeling shocked that poachers would breach their fence in broad daylight, she was in a tough position. She had 23 guards, but rumors suggested that it was an inside job. Thabo’s female companion, Ntombi, refused to let anyone near and hyenas began to pester them. Françoise contacted a veterinarian, who told her that if Thabo was walking and not in obvious pain, the wound probably did not affect any bones. She organized more security to keep the animals safe and started a rhino fund to ensure that money was available to buy extra security equipment.
Despite this traumatic event, Françoise did not give up. She worked with the wonderful people at Thula Thula, whom she considered family, and the special herd of animals that they raised from infancy. She slowly found her footing by reorganizing the security staff and setting up meetings with the staff to prioritize reserve and animal issues. She launched their own rhino fund to help protect their animals, and the money started to flow in. This gave them enough to pay for extra guards, buy extra security equipment and ensure that the animals were protected.
One night, Françoise heard a noise outside her room, and Tom, her chef, told her that a baby elephant was outside. Upon inspection, they realized that the baby elephant must have slipped under the perimeter fence. With the dangers of hyenas, crocodiles, snakes, rhinos and the river, Françoise and Tom acted quickly to ensure that they kept the baby elephant safe and brought it inside.
Françoise Malby-Anthony’s journey in South Africa wasn’t easy, but she embraced the country and found her purpose after Lawrence passed away. She took on the mantle of protecting Thula Thula’s wildlife and carried it out to the best of her abilities. Her journey shows that life can change in an instant, and that we must be ready to adapt and grow in the face of adversity.
