Photo By Sgt. Maj. Denise Shelton | Caregiver Kristy Eaker conducts routine foot care of Tang the elephant. Caregivers...... read more read more
The African elephant is the largest mammal walking the Earth. It has more than 100,000 muscles in its trunk making it flexible and strong enough to lift trees.
Although not native to Tennessee, 27 African elephants live in the southern part of Volunteer State in an elephant sanctuary.
“The Elephant Sanctuary was founded in 1995 on 220 acres in Hohenwald, Tennessee. Tarra, a former performing elephant, was the first resident,” said Kate Mason, communications coordinator for the sanctuary.
Saturday is World Elephant Day. This year the sanctuary will celebrate the grand opening of its new outdoor classroom.
The event will begin at 10:30 a.m. and continue through 3:30 p.m. with special programming at 11 a.m. and 1:30 p.m. During the event, friends and Families can meet and interact with the sanctuary’s elephant caregivers and make special enrichment treats for the elephants while touring the elephant discovery center’s outdoor classroom, according to a released statement. The elephant sanctuary is located about 100 miles from Fort Campbell, southwest of Nashville.
The sanctuary provides a safe living space for elephants that have been retired from exhibit or performing, and receive individualized care. It also provides the companionship of a herd, and the opportunity for the retired elephants to live out their lives in a safe place dedicated to their well-being. Because the elephants are retired from public exhibition, sanctuary visitors will not be able to see the elephants, however, the elephants can be observed via the sanctuary’s Elecam live stream at www.elephants.com.
The sanctuary not only offers a safe place to live for these aging elephants, it also helps to bring forward much needed awareness about the world’s dwindling elephant population.
“The sanctuary exists to provide captive elephants with individualized, lifetime care in an expansive, natural habitat setting and to raise public awareness of the complex needs of elephants in captivity, and the crisis facing elephants in the wild,” Mason said.
According to the “Elephant Facts” page on The Elephant Sanctuary website “the loss of habitat, human-elephant conflict, and poaching for ivory and bushmeat are great threats to elephant populations. As of 2013, the Asian elephant population had experienced a 90 percent decline in the past 100 years and some experts suggest 95 percent of their original habitat has been lost over the same period. Estimates vary, but most agree that there has been a 75 percent decline in the elephant population in Africa.”
“Today there are three surviving elephant species – the Asian elephant, African savanna elephant and the African forest elephant,” according to The Elephant Sanctuary website. “There are several anatomical and behavioral differences between the different species. Most noticeable is the difference in ears. African savanna elephants have large ears shaped much like the continent of Africa. African forest elephants’ ears are more oval shaped. Asians, that live in cooler forest areas, have smaller ears. Asian elephants also have rounded backs and relatively smooth skin while African elephants display a sway back and very wrinkled skin.”
Although not their native habitat, the elephants that live in the sanctuary appear to be happy living in hills and valleys of Tennessee.
The elephants have, “free-choice, year-round access to expansive habitats and heated barns,” Mason said. “Elephants are wild animals with complex physical and social needs not supported by the training, performing, confinement and travel demanded of elephants in entertainment. Elephants at the sanctuary are allowed freedom of choice regarding how they spend their days, and have the opportunity to exhibit a range of natural behaviors including play, foraging and swimming.”
The climate of Middle Tennessee is mild for most of the year, and the seasonal differences offer the elephants a variety of vegetation for foraging and enrichment, Mason said.
Not only does the elephant sanctuary provide water sources for swimming and wide open spaces to play, it also helps with the social bonds needed within an elephant herd.
“Ample opportunity to roam helps maintain healthy feet and limbs and, along with proper diets, strong bodies.” Mason said, adding that socialization opportunities allow elephants who grew up without their family herd to develop the ability to relate to other elephants and form deep social bonds that last a lifetime. Much like other living beings, an elephant’s personality varies from elephant to elephant.
“Each elephant has their own distinct personality. Tange is considered the ‘social butterfly’ of the Africa Barn. During introductions with Rosie, Sukari and Hadari, Tange took on a leadership role,” according to The Elephant Sanctuary website. “This surprised caregivers somewhat because Flora has always taken the leadership role in her longstanding relationship with Tange. Tange is often seen carrying hay with one of her tusks.”
Today there are thought to be between 300,000 and 500,000 wild elephants in Africa and less than 60,000 wild elephants in Asia. Asian elephants are recognized as an endangered species while African elephants are recognized as threatened.
Learn more about The Elephant Sanctuary at www.elephants.com.
| Date Taken: | 08.10.2017 |
| Date Posted: | 01.04.2018 14:03 |
| Story ID: | 260583 |
| Location: | FORT CAMPBELL, KENTUCKY, US |
| Web Views: | 133 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
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