by Alex H.
Zoo Atlanta has three female elephants: Kelly, Dottie and Tara. During the summer of 2008, I had the opportunity to experience an up-close visit with the three girls as they spent time at what I like to refer to as the "elephant spa."
Ever since I was little, I have been fascinated by these gentle giants. The part of the visit that I enjoyed the most was being able to get up close and watch them get cleaned off. The elephants in Zoo Atlanta are both well-behaved and well-trained. The zookeepers were great with the animals. Kelly enjoyed having her feet cleaned while she munched on a snack.
How were they able to get Kelly to cooperate? The zookeepers would tap Kelly’s leg to give the command “lift your leg." To keep her still, they would feed her a snack of apples. After her pedicure, she enjoyed a nice shower and then left the elephant spa to join her friends for a day in the sun.
My trip to the Zoo Atlanta will always be a great memory. Thank you to the Zoo Atlanta staff for helping educate visitors about these gentle creatures.
A sad postscript: Dottie, one of the elephants mentioned in Alex's article above, died suddenly on 28 October 2008 at ZooAtlanta. Please see ZooAtlanta Mourns Lost of African Elephant to learn more.
About the author:Alex H. is a fifth-grade student in North Carolina.
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