At Tama Zoo, efforts are being made to improve the health management of Asian Elephant and African Bush Elephant, including improvements to feeding methods. Let's take a look at these efforts.

◎ Asian Elephant "Anura" doing stretching exercises

Anura, Asian Elephant, is currently 58 years old, making him the oldest male elephant in Japan. Wild Asian Elephant live in forests, primarily feeding on leaves and treetops, and only using grass on the ground as a supplement. However, Anura, who came to Tama Zoo when he was about five years old, has been eating food placed on the ground or at a height about the height of animal keeper. In other words, he has never had the opportunity to raise his trunk or head high to forage. Anura has continued this foraging behavior for over 50 years.

In recent years, some zoos in Europe and the United States, as well as some in Japan, have been implementing a feeding method for elephants that involves placing hay and other grasses in nets woven from ropes and hanging them high above the elephants' heads, allowing them to use their raised trunks to pick the grass through the mesh. This not only mimics the elephants' natural instinct to eat leaves, but also strengthens the muscles in their trunks, necks, and forelegs through the up-and-down motion of raising and lowering their heads, thus contributing to their overall health.

With advice from A. Rookcroft, a consultant specializing in elephant care, the zookeepers brainstormed and decided to feed the elephants in the afternoon from a "watchtower" about 5 meters high.

Up until now, Anura would have picked up food thrown to her from the ground, but now she has to raise her head as high as she can and stretch her nose even further to get to her favorite bread and bananas.

Anura's life has completely changed from looking down to looking up, and it seems to be quite a challenge for her. She can only hold her nose high for about a minute, but after lowering it and chewing the food she's stuffed in her cheeks, she tries again, takes a break, and tries again again. She makes this less than 10-minute neck stretching exercise a daily routine. If she can maintain a healthy body with this, Anura will still be going strong!!

[Koji Yamakawa, Tama Zoo]

◎ African Bush Elephant diet

Chiki and Ako, African Bush Elephant at Tama Zoo, are currently on a diet. Obesity puts a strain on various parts of the body, including the heart and legs, and can cause illness. In particular, leg problems can be life-threatening for large animals like elephants. Therefore, we have decided to implement three measures to combat obesity.

The first change is a review of the feeding amount. Up until now, we have been giving the elephants about 100 kilograms of food, including hay, grass, twigs, fruits such as apples, oranges, and bananas, vegetables such as carrots and sweet potatoes, and pellets (solid feed). However, since their favorite fruits are high in calories, we are gradually reducing the amount to aim for an ideal physique. This cannot be done in a short period of time, so we are proceeding slowly while observing the elephants' condition.

The second improvement is the feeding method. Food is now placed in higher places so that the elephants have to raise their trunks to reach it. This act of raising the trunk is said to be effective for weight loss. However, African Bush Elephant' trunks can reach quite high, so attaching food is difficult. They have to climb up high and tie bundles of green grass with straw string. Also, if the food is too high, they give up, and if it's too low, it won't help them lose weight, so adjusting the height is not easy. Recently, they have been able to hang the food at just the right height, so both elephants are now fully extending their trunks to eat.

The third activity is exercise on a sand mound created within the enclosure. The sand mound is generally built on days when the zoo is closed. The aim is to increase the amount of exercise the elephants get by having them walk over this mound. We were worried about whether it would work, but they surprisingly climbed over it quite easily. However, because they repeatedly go over the same spot, an animal trail (elephant trail) is created. Therefore, animal keeper are making efforts to vary the shape and size of the mound when they build it.

We've only just started, but we'll be taking care of our health while trying to diet efficiently. Please come and see Chiiki and Ako as they work hard!

[Tomoki Saito, Animal Care and Exhibition Staff, North Tama Zoo]

Photo above: Asian Elephant "Anura"
Photo: African Bush Elephant "Chiki" foraging for food in a high place.
Photo below: "Cheeky" and Diet Mountain

(February 17, 2012)