MYSTERY OF THE CONSTANTLY-DRAINING JACUZZI SOLVED AS ELEPHANT IS CAUGHT DRINKING OUT OF IT
Mail Online
May 24, 2010
For weeks, the mystery of the leaking jacuzzi has baffled workers at the Etali Safari Lodge in South Africa.
But the answer has been found - and her name is Troublesome.
A guest staying at the lodge snapped this picture of a thirsty female elephant gulping down mouthfuls of jacuzzi water.
The elephant - nicknamed 'Troublesome' - is well known to rangers at the reserve for her inquisitive nature.
But no-one realised she was behind the 'leak' at the jacuzzi outside one of the £400-a-night lodges.
Susan Potgieter, owner of Etali Safari Lodge, said elephants could drink more than 200 litres of water a day so drinking a whole jacuzzi was no problem.
She said: 'When I first saw the photograph of her drinking I couldn't believe it. And then it dawned on me of course an elephant was drinking it.
'It was something of a relief because we had been trying to work out why the pool had been draining so quickly for weeks but couldn't find a leak anywhere.
'When it was empty in the morning we first called a plumber, but they could not work out why it was draining either.
'Troublesome was caught in the act by a guest at the lodge who just came outside to have some tea on the decking.
'They were quite surprised to see an elephant taking a drink of her own too, and quickly grabbed a camera.
'We've seen this elephant a lot before and by the lodge, the rangers call her 'Troublesome' not because she causes trouble but because she comes so close to their vehicles.'
Ms Potgieter said Troublesome probably preferred the water of the jacuzzi because it was clean.
She said: 'Now that we know what was going on we have tried to provide her an alternative source of water. But sometimes it's hard to get an elephant to change her ways.
'She is a very welcome visitor for us and our guests, except it's probably best to check if she is around before taking a dip in the jacuzzi.'
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