10-28-08
	Zoo Atlanta Mourns Loss Of African Elephant

(Loxodonta africana)

Zoo Atlanta is home to African elephants. The elephants’ naturalistic home simulates the terrain of Africa’s Mzima Springs. (Interestingly, Mzima Springs has red clay like Georgia’s, and our elephants frequently take on that hue!) The habitat also features a large, deep pond where the elephants can indulge in one of their favorite activities – bathing.

African elephant facts:

• Our elephants eat 10 bales of hay per day (about 3.3 bales per elephant). That’s 500 pounds of hay a day!

• Collectively, the elephants drink over 80 gallons of water a day (40 gallons per animal).

• Elephants produce up to 80 pounds of fecal material every day.

• Elephants go through six sets of teeth in a lifetime.

• A combination of the nose and upper lip, an elephant’s trunk contains over 100,000 muscles and tendons.

• Despite their colossal size, elephants are extremely agile and fast. They can walk at 24 miles per hour (nearly twice as fast as a human can run) for short distances.