Visitors at a Sri Lankan hotel were surprised to discover one hotel guest was actually a fully grown male elephant.
Twitter user @upidaisy shared video of the incredible moment the elephant was seen sauntering through Jetwing Yala hotel’s lobby.
“Woke up to a text from my mom about how a wild elephant went into a Sri Lankan hotel and gently wandered around while poking stuff with his trunk,” the Twitter user wrote.
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In the two-minute video, the animal can be seen calmly wandering through the lobby and gently inspecting the area with his trunk. He eventually comes to the top of a set of stairs before turning around and walking back where he came from.
The gigantic mammal takes a walk past reception and accidentally knocks over a music stand, which scatters sheet music across the floor.
The video has since been liked nearly 400,000 times, and has scored more than 80,000 retweets and around six million views.
“Waiting for the bellboy to step in and ask if he would like help with his trunk,” a Twitter user joked, while another joked about the elephant submitting a hotel review: “2 stars — no grass. Do not recommend.”
“I like how he wanders over to the window and stands there, seeming to be marveling at the view,” another Twitter user commented.
While seeing an elephant walking the halls of a hotel may be shocking to most who witness it, this was just a regular day for the hotel staff.
In fact, the elephant, named Natta Kota, is a regular guest at Jetwing Yala. He first visited the five-star hotel in 2013 and has been a repeat guest ever since, according to The National.
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His regular visits come with two simple recommendations from hotel staff: keep a safe distance and don’t feed him.
The hotel is located near Yala National Park, one of the world’s best destinations to see wild animals, including leopards, monkeys, bears and, of course, elephants.
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