US star owns up to Knysna park visit

John Harvey

AS South Africa rapidly takes its place among the world's preferred destinations for Hollywood's globe-trotting elite, most walk around Cape Town's trendy waterfront or escape to an exclusive game reserve.

But it seems the popular Knysna Elephant Park has become something of a drawcard for the silver screen set, either while on a quiet getaway or as part of a professional photo shoot.

This week 30 Seconds to Mars frontman and Hollywood darling Jared Leto grabbed the headlines in the US after posting pictures of himself cavorting with a few of the park's most prized pachyderms.

Although the photographs, which show a bare-chested Leto cuddling up to the gentle giants, were taken in 2004, the 41-year- old only uploaded them to his website a few days ago.

The photographs were taken by South African photographer Warwick Saint for a spread in American magazine Flaunt.

Saint is most famous for his portraits of A-list celebrities including Drew Barrymore, Cate Blanchett, Beyoncé, Charlize Theron, Christina Aguilera, and P Diddy.

But according to Knysna Elephant Park general manager Greg Vogt, the park has attracted a host of overseas stars in recent years. "I can confirm that Jared Leto did the shoot in 2004, but sometimes you can't even remember them all. I know Clint Eastwood's son [Scott, in his father's 2009 film Invictus, played flyhalf Joel Stransky], [The Perfect Wave] star Rachel Hendrix and the late Patrick Swayze have all visited, but I know there are more," Vogt said.

He said staff frequently did not even know the celebrities were there.

"Sometimes they will make a formal arrangement with the park, but sometimes they will just walk around like normal visitors and we let them be.

"The guides will sometimes ask if they can have their picture taken with them, but it all depends on the vibe."

Asked whether he thought the A-listers deliberately sought out the park as a place to visit, Vogt said it was probably a case of them enjoying the whole Garden Route as a travel destination.

"I think they like it that the park encourages privacy and they can be left alone to enjoy the elephants."