A traditional logging camp in India is the exotic theme for the new elephant exhibit at the Buttonwood Park Zoo. Remaining on the grounds during the zoo s re-construction, the elephants are now housed in the renovated elephant barn. Complete with a new rubber floor, the barn s new surface prevents foot problems and allows easy maintenance for the staff. Although an elephant s skin is more than an inch thick, it is very sensitive.
Elephants are buoyant and come with built-in snorkels.
There s also a new towering Asian shade structure modeled after an Indian mahout hut, which will cast shade over the yard. Inhabiting small areas of India, Sri Lanka, China and Southeast Asia, Asian elephants are endangered due to illegal hunting and habitat destruction. They weigh up to 11,000 pounds and stand about 10 feet tall. As herbivores, they eat grasses, bark, roots, leaves and fruit and can consume from 220 to 660 pounds of food and up to 50 gallons of water daily. According to the zoo s web site information on Asian elephants, the highly social Asian elephant lives in family groups led by an experienced female, or matriarch.