Elephant Caretaker Experience at Myakka Elephant Ranch

Yesterday, we participated in an amazing “elephant caretaker experience” at Myakka Elephant Ranch, about an hour inland from St. Petersburg, Florida. Myakka Elephant Ranch is a non-profit center dedicated to educating visitors about elephant conservation. As part of a small group, we got to prepare the elephants’ breakfast, give them their favorite treats, interact with them, and then give one of them a bath!

(We’re bundled up in the photos because the “feels like” temperature outside was in the 30s. Heaters in the barn had warmed the air to a level that the elephants could tolerate, but it was still chilly.)

First, we helped cut up some fresh fruits and vegetables for the elephants’ breakfast, to add to a bowl of special diet supplements. Most of the rest of the elephants’ diet is hay, which they eat throughout the day, so these are special treats for them.

Then the elephants came in to enjoy their breakfasts. This is Patty, a 52-year-old Asian Elephant.

Susie and Baba. Susie was a circus and show-business elephant. Baba (off to the right) was in Michael Jackson’s private zoo.

Susie enjoying her breakfast.

After their breakfast, we each got to feed a treat to one of the elephants. This is Marilyn giving Susie an apple.

Stan giving Susie an apple. African elephants have two prehensile fingers at the end of their trunks.

Cheryl giving Patty an apple. Asian elephants have only one prehensile “finger” at the end of their trunks.

It was easy to see that each elephant had a unique personality. Patty was more aloof than the other two, maybe because she was older.

Cheryl playing with Susie. An elephant’s trunk has no bones, only muscles, so it can elongate, shorten, bend, stiffen, and twist its trunk in an infinite number of ways.

One of the staff members giving Patty a drink before her bath.

Finally, we bathed one of the elephants (Patty). An elephant’s skin is very dry and it doesn’t sweat, so it must be washed every day. We took turns scrubbing Patty down with a special “safari soap” of cleansers and skin protectants. The elephants love this part–it’s like an all-over scratch.

After soaping her up, we rinsed the soap off of Patty.

Final step: an elephant pedicure! We painted Patty’s front toes with a mineral oil solution to help keep them from cracking. No nail polish though.

Reservations for the various experiences at Myakka Elephant Ranch book up months in advance, so if you’re going to be in the area, visit https://www.myakkaelephantranch.org for more info!