August 17, Toledo Zoo, part 3

.

Generous donations to the zoo have made possible some very nice (for a zoo in the middle of a city!) space for elephants.  The zoo has four elephants.  Renée, her two sons Louie and Lucas, and Twiggy, another adult female.

Lucas is no longer a baby -- he's three now.  A kid elephant.  He positioned himself in this frame........

Closer crop.

Here comes mama Renée.  I wonder if she's checking on Lucas, or if she's particularly interested in his pile of hay....

Given that he has picked up the whole pile and is leaving the vicinity, I suspect maybe she is interested in helping him share the hay.

These two were pretty close to each other the whole time we watched.

There was elephant enrichment while we were near the elephant space.  We didn't know just where (or what) the enrichment would be -- the space is big, and divided.  Louie (who is several years older than Lucas) and Twiggy were in one space, and Renée and Lucas were in another space.  We could (sort of, over some shrubs) see someone getting a bath from where we were, and I expect that was the advertised enrichment.

There are all sorts of places from which enrichment items can be hung, and lowered at various times.  Here is some enrichment which was not lowered when we watched.  Corn stalks.

This is the indoor space where the elephants spend a good deal of time in the winter (though there is video on youtube showing Lucas playing in the snow!).

I'm betting there were objects hung from the wall, which marked the wall as they were swung and/or bashed.  We saw tires of various sorts, and large plastic barrels hung in different places.  I'm guessing that sort of tool was used to make these marks.

I was struck by the similarity to modern art -- I bet anything you could sell this......

I like it.

Looking back outside at Renée and Lucas.  Synchronized drinking.

Note tails.........

There is a little hay on the sand.  The both Renée and Lucas gathered up bits of hay from the sand, and then opened their trunks a bit, to let go of sand while holding onto hay, before eating the hay.  Elephant trunks are remarkable tools!

Ok, walking away from the elephants, as they walk away from us.......  Renée's interesting tail.........

Watusi cattle are new to the zoo.  Doesn't this guy look healthy and shiny?  With his fancy tail-tip hair and all?  Not to mention his black-tipped hornage....

Cattle hair is much less coarse than elephant hair.............

.