At Tama Zoo 's "Valley of Asian Elephant," you can sometimes see large hydraulic excavators, wheel loaders, and other "working vehicles" that are as big as Asian Elephant. It looks like construction work is underway, but this is also an important part of animal care. This time, we'll introduce the work of these "working vehicles."


Vehicles working in the "Valley where Asian Elephant Live"
From left to right: hydraulic excavator, tractor, wheel loader.

1. Hydraulic excavator

Hydraulic excavators are excellent at digging deep into the ground. At the "Valley of Asian Elephant," approximately two meters of soft sand is laid in the indoor area to reduce the strain on the elephants' feet. However, when trampled by elephants weighing over three tons, the sand becomes damp and hard, like soil, especially during the humid summer months. If left untreated, bacteria will breed and it will start to smell. To prevent this, the hardened sand is dug up deeply with a hydraulic excavator and moved to areas where the elephants don't trample as much, where it can dry. This ensures that the elephants always have access to clean, soft sand.

2. Tractor

The tractors working in the "Valley of Asian Elephant" are equipped with a machine called a "rotary tiller." The tines of this rotary tiller rotate to dig and cultivate the ground. The purpose of using the tractor is similar to that of a hydraulic excavator: to cultivate hard sand and make it softer. Compared to a hydraulic excavator, a tractor can cultivate a large area at once. On the other hand, it cannot dig the sand as deep as a hydraulic excavator. The two "working vehicles" are used interchangeably depending on the condition of the sand and the area to be cultivated.


The "rotary" attached to the back of the tractor
The tines (white arrows) rotate and cultivate the ground.

3. Wheel loader

Wheel loaders can transport large quantities of sand and soil. Asian Elephant frequently take sand baths for shade and to prevent parasites. Therefore, there are large sand mounds both indoors and outdoors in the "Valley of Asian Elephant." The indoor sand mounds also help the elephants lie down to rest (see this article). The sand mounds quickly shrink as the elephants erode them during their dynamic sand baths and when they lie down. That's where the wheel loaders come in; they transport sand and rebuild the mounds. Wheel loaders are essential to allow the elephants to engage in their natural behaviors.


A wheel loader rebuilds a sand dune.
Caring for large and powerful Asian Elephant can be difficult with human effort alone. In such cases, we rely on these "working vehicles" to create a comfortable environment for the elephants. If you look closely at the ground during your visit, you may find tire or belt tracks next to elephant footprints. When you see these, we hope you will enjoy the lively sight of the elephants while imagining the work these "working vehicles" are doing.

[Tama Zoo]

(November 10, 2023)