COLUMBIA (WACH)—32000 pounds of pachyderm make their home at the Riverbanks Zoo and Garden, and if you have never have the opportunity to come face to face with the biggest land mammal on the planet, you must add it to the bucket list!
4 female African elephants reside at the Zoo, and weighing in around 8000 pounds each, make up one of the most popular exhibits. This weeks Wild Wednesday adventure found us in the elephant barn, learning about these descendants of wooly mammoths.
Interesting facts about these giants include a gestation period of 22 months, which is the longest of any land animal. Elephants generally live well past 50, with the oldest on record living 82 years.
According to Zoo Keeper Andrea Mueller, some common misconceptions about elephants are their fear of mice and love of peanuts. Although elephants do eat peanuts, along with bark, fruit, hay, and other vegetation, they are not necessarily partial to the peanut. Mueller did point out that the legendary memory of an elephant is accurate.
The herd of elephants at the zoo spend a lot of their time on their exhibit during operating hours, and there are routine shows which allow visitors to see first hand many of the tricks these 8000 pound ladies have learned.
There is more information about the Riverbanks Zoo and Garden on their website.
Wild Wednesdays airs bi-monthly on Good Day Columbia, and always includes very special up close and personal encounters with some of the amazing animals that reside at the Zoo.
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