Elephant Sanctuary
Meet Our Asian Elephants
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Indu Indu was born in Thailand in 1965 and was brought to the United States at a very early age. She came to the Phoenix Zoo in 1998. Indu is a very dominant and outgoing elephant that definitely knows what she wants. She often demands attention by vocalizing or banging on things with her trunk when keepers are near. She loves to eat, with bananas and melons being some of her favorite treats. Indu can be identified by the large amount of pink coloration on her ears. |
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Reba Reba was born in Asia in 1970 and was brought to the United States as an infant. She came to the Phoenix Zoo in 1999. Reba is also a very dominant elephant. She is incredibly intelligent; for keepers can tell she’s contemplating things by just looking into her eyes. Reba is a very playful elephant who loves the water; she can often be seen splashing in the pool on exhibit. Reba can be identified by the large amount of pink around her eyes. |
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Sheena Sheena was born in India in 1971 and was also brought to the United States as an infant. She came to the Phoenix Zoo in 2000. Sheena is a fairly submissive elephant. She sometimes needs to be encouraged to go on exhibit with corn, her favorite treat. Sheena is not a very vocal elephant but often rumbles when keepers pay her special attention. Sheena is known as the shy but clever one, often figuring out new puzzle feeders before the other elephants. Sheena is very hairy which makes her easily identifiable from the other elephants. |
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Elephant Diets
Each elephant here at the Phoenix Zoo consumes approximately 120 lbs of food every day. While this diet consists of several types of fruits and vegetables, the majority of their diet consists of hay. We normally have two types of hay to give the elephants, bermuda and timothy. Wild elephants have to search all day for their food and this foraging activity can take up most of their day, as they may walk up to twenty miles. The Phoenix Zoo elephant keepers have created ways of dispersing the elephant’s food by presenting them with similar situations that they may encounter in the wild. We use cargo nets attached to elevated feeders with hay inside throughout the elephant’s habitat simulating natural feeding behavior. Daily Routines/Husbandry
Proper care of elephants takes a lot of time. Here at the Phoenix Zoo we give showers to the elephants every day and also check their feet. Providing a shower to an elephant is very important, it helps to exfoliate their skin and remove any debris. Giving the elephants showers every day and giving them access to natural substrates helps keep their skin healthy and in good condition.
Wild elephants may walk 20-30 miles a day constantly moving and foraging for food. Exercising is another important way in which we care for the elephants. We walk the elephants around our exhibit by using treats and encouragement. This exercising is good for their overall general health, especially their feet and joints.
Medical Procedures
One of the most important medical procedures that we do is drawing blood samples. We draw blood as a way of monitoring their health and the samples may contribute to several studies that are currently being done in elephants.
The keepers spend every day with the elephants and are constantly observing them. One of the most important things to watch for is overall body condition. Here at the zoo the elephants are weighed monthly and we have target weight ranges for all of the elephants to try to ensure they stay as healthy as possible.
Elephant Foot Care
Foot health is very important in elephants and it’s very important to take proper care of their feet. Here at the Phoenix Zoo this doesn’t just include daily foot examinations but also includes periodic trimming. Elephants in the wild walk 20-30 miles a day, naturally wearing down their nails and pads. In captivity it is necessary for keepers to trim their feet. Although at first glance it may not be obvious, elephants actually walk on their toes. Keeping the nails properly trimmed is vital to having healthy elephants.
In our program we trim one foot of each elephant every week, for example we will trim the front right feet of all three elephants in one week. We use hoof knifes, rasps and Swiss knifes to accomplish this. It takes keepers anywhere from an hour to an hour and a half to trim one foot. The elephants are all trained to present their front and back feet for trimming.
Behavioral Enrichment
Behavioral enrichment is the environmental enhancement of the lives of animals by providing them with mental and physical stimulation to increase natural behavior. Here at the Phoenix Zoo we apply this enrichment in many different ways. Elephants in the wild will spend hours every day looking for their food. To simulate this foraging behavior and give the animals more exercise, the keepers place the elephant’s food inside of puzzle feeders like the ones shown. The keepers also like to modify the landscape of the exhibit to stimulate the elephants. This includes constructing large piles of logs, planting grass, adding large piles of dirt and sand, churning up the ground to make it softer and adding a clay wallow. The keepers are continually challenged to come up with new ideas to enrich the lives of the elephants.
