(Click on the image for a wallpaper sized image)Remember I told you in other post that I was going to give an elephant a bath? Well, I finally did!!!! A Behind of the scenes tour of the Elephant exhibit of the El Paso Zoo and a chance to bathe one of the Elephants was a surprise anniversary present, and when it truly happened, It was one of the best experiences I've had. Her name is Savannah and I wish I was able to be closer to her.... You know, Elephants are my favorite animals and I had never, ever being so close to one before. Her eyes are so human-like, you know there's a lot going on behind their kind look, It's astonishing. And those feet!!!! Huge and round! I just wanted to hug her... but of course I wasn't allowed :( They have very strict security measures in order to protect both ourselves and the elephant from each other.
Anyway, it was all in all a great experience. Being able to hose her down, then brush her side and touch her skin was a dream come true for me... they even let me feed her a huge watermelon piece! The zoo keepers are wonderful people and they showed us a lot of stuff that happens backstage ;)... I did not know taking care of an elephant required so many things! (And I thought just giving my daughter a bath was hard!)
Even my daughter was allowed to go with us! You should have seen her face... just beaming from being able to see such a powerful being next to her. it was pure magic...
All I can say is that It was all great, it's going to leave memories to treasure forever, and that's why I did this entry in my art journal... Much better than pictures you know? That way I can remember everything the way I want to... memories for me are just 10000 times better than pictures. Looking at them always bring me the feelings I had, not just the images.
If I wasn't an artist I'd like to be a zookeeper. Maybe I can show Savannah to paint :)
12 comments:
I love this post because, you know, I've always thought elephants had the most HUMAN eyes!
When I was little my dad got me behind the scenes at the circus and I saw them all laying in their pens with straw and big water basins... and since then, I've been HOOKED.
Definitely I'm an elephant girl. Well, that and pygmy goat. HAha!
The way you talk about this experience is so sweet and sensitive... I'm happy one of your dreams came true :) What a powerful and precious experience! This is great you could share this with your daughter.
WOW that is an adventure. I rode an Elephant once. Such a gentle creature one that should be greatly respected and loved. I am so happy that you got to enjoy a sometimes once in a life time expirence!
Alisha I love pygmy goats too soooo cute...
H E R M O S A !!!
Que lindo que tu sueno se hizo realidad!! a mi me encantan los animales acuaticos, espero algun dia poder tocar a Shamu.
Saluditos.
Adri
OMG I am JEALOUS!! Lucky you Danita. I can reveal that I ahve ridden a camel named Cherster, twice, along with my daughter. It was pretty crazy, you feel as if you are going to fall off it the hump! Pam
PS Happy Aniversairy!
Thanks a lot! It was a dream come true... One day I'll travel to Thailand and be in real contact with elephants :)
wow! Now THAT"S a memory that she will treasure forever!~
Hola, querida! Youppi! You are an elephant lover and I am an hippopotamus lover! I jut loooove these BIG mammals, they have the sweetest eyes and when they move around, their weight make you realize how important they are and how hard we should work at keeping them alive and well on our tiny planet! Have a great weekend! LuLu
OH my gosh, how fortunate you were to have this experience! So, being an elephant person, have you read "Water for Elephants" yet?? It's a beautiful book.
Nop, I've been avoiding reading it because I've heard that elephants suffer a lot on that book... I don't want to read about that :(... but the title and the cover are so tempting!!! How good is it really?
what a beautiful gift. one you'll always cherish. i saw a documentary about a herd of elephants. during the documentary an elephant from their herd passed away and the family of elephants morned their loss and stayed next to the elephant's body for a couple of hours. that just touched my heart. you could feel their pain and love. i just love elephants!
p.s. i'm catching up on reading your blog. i just finished 2007 and going into 2008.
p.s.s.
i can't sleep either. =)
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