Mabel the phone eating ostrich

Mabel was one of fifteen ostriches that were hand reared in the conservancy and she was a constant and characterful presence in camp at Enasoit. She even used to accompany guests out on walking safaris. She loved pecking shiny things and one day ate the mobile phone of a high flying finance executive we had staying. We could see it moving down her long neck much to its owner’s distress! Luckily Mabel was fine after swallowing the mobile.

However, Mabel sadly came to a sticky end just the other day when she met twelve lions and all we found the next day was a pile of feathers :-(. She had made it to eleven years though and was very clever indeed at avoiding predators until that fateful day.