touch an elephant

How I did it: Well, I was a ZooTeen at the Oregon Zoo, and there were about eight spots open for pairs of ZT's to participate in vet shadows where we would get to follow around and assist a vet tech for a few hours. The last thing we did was visit the elephant barn, because a few elephants needed their feet checked, and one of the cows, Sung-Surin, needed an abcess in her foot worked on. Anyway, I got to feed her carrots as part of her training and touch her massive forehead.It was incredible--like soft, rubbery, and very warm. She was the most gentle creature I've ever come into contact with, and, given the wide variety of creatures from dogs and cats to goats to invertebrates I've worked with, means a whole lot. Simply magical.

Lessons & tips: Definitely look to your local AZA-Accredited zoo for this one. Many offer "behind-the-scene tours" or "zookeeper-for-a-day" opportunities for a fee. If your lucky enough to have a zoo with a volunteer program (many do--they can use the help!) you may be able to work around the elephants.But please avoid circuses; not only are the elephants treated extremely poorly and with little respect, if any at all, circus elephants are often poorly-adjusted and more unpredictable than the average well-loved zoo pachyderm.

Resources: Well, the good folks at the Oregon Zoo Teen Program, and the Vets/Vet Techs who let us tag along. A handful of sweet carrots won't hurt, though. ;)

Oct 15, 2008, 07:09PM PDT | 0 comments | 2 cheers