Forget peanuts. In the heart of Florida’s citrus grove region, it’s the oranges elephants are after. The pachyderms have discovered how to pluck the fruit from the trees with their trunks and pop it into their mouths. Officials at the center, quickly learned the elephants ate oranges from the old trees, eating up to 300 a day. The elephants are on loan from Disney. The center is open to two categories of the mammoth mammals: those sent for a limited stay by zoos that need to temporarily free up space for renovations or breeding; and elephants that need a permanent home when their previous institutional or private owners can no longer care for them. Fresh Valencia oranges are not the only thing that makes the 200-acre center unique. It is also the only such site operated by the U.S. zoo community to house displaced elephants. The center’s primary goal is to ensure the elephant’s long-term survival. The animal is listed as endangered, or at high risk of extinction, in Asia, and vulnerable in Africa.
Posted on: Sat, 28 Sep 2013 04:44:43 +0000
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