Monday Moment - E is for Elephant and more

So, I promised Ray an adventure on Saturday. Yes, we are housebound in TX.  However, there is virtual excitement.  Check out the Ape Cam at the San Diego Zoo.
      www.animals.sandiegozoo.org/live-cams

We killed thirty minutes or so clicking between cameras.  No lions or tigers in view - my pic above is from the Fort Worth Zoo a few years ago.  The elephant cam (yes - it's E day in A to Z blogging) yielded some elephants on the move. That was fun.  But the best is always the Ape Cam and Orangutans did not disappoint. Fun to watch them swing in their play area. They munched on bananas, messed with each other, and sat and pondered the world.

And just think - they are accustomed to watching people as much as we are used  to watching them. Think of the amount of tourists who flow through their area - talking, pointing, smiling, waving, etc.

These are smart creatures - do they miss us as much as we miss them?

I fancy that they are a tad lonely - no interaction.  No tourists to turn their backs to, or to perform - do outrageous acrobatics.  I should think some scientist is doing a study right now - how does Covid-19 affect our animal friends at the zoo.

Something to think about as you wander from room to room in your home, eating from a bag of cheetos, or a healthy banana.

Happy Quarantine Monday, my friends.

Browse has Another Meaning

photo from Morguefile

From Sunday 7/17/16 Dallas Morning News – Getting Their Greens by Claire Z. Cardona

This was an exceptionally interesting article. Here's my synopsis:

Dallas zookeepers are able to keep elephants happy with truckloads of greenery from city parks. In a key partnership, the keepers have access to branches and vegetation, called “browse”. Elephants and other zoo animals crave their fresh veggies. Basically every other Wednesday, keepers follow city workers around golf courses and gather the “browse”. This keeps a lot of stuff out of the landfill, and it’s cheap food for the zoo. All parties are happy.

The city is expanding the plan to almost 400 parks. Wow. Daily enrichment means healthier elephants. Apparently elm is a favorite. It’s also exercise for the elephants as they strip limbs. They are occupied and it keeps their teeth healthy too  Per the article, an adult female elephant weighs between 6,000 and 10,000 pounds and eats 200 to 300 pounds of food a day. Elephants eat hay, grains, fruits and vegetables. This volume of “browse” helps immensely. Seventy other species of animals enjoy different varieties too.

Spread the word to any animal habitats, and coordinate resources. Make an elephant happy!