Good Morning
In the morning Lucy’s care team meet to discuss her day—walk times, her meals, physical therapy, play time—all the things that fill Lucy’s day. Lucy’s needs are tended to by 4 care staff between 7 am and 11 pm.
They enter the building quietly and wait to see if she is awake or still sleeping. You’ll know Lucy is still sleeping if you can hear the loud snores.
They keep the lights low until she is fully awake.
When Lucy wakes up, she likes to say good morning by having her tongue rubbed. This is a common way for elephants to say hello.
After the official “good morning”, she is checked over to ensure everything is okay and that she’s ready for the day. They also check her sand pile where she sleeps. If there is a perfect imprint of Lucy’s body, they know she has had a deep sleep. This is most often the case. If Lucy has not had a deep sleep, her care staff looks for any possible reason why she may have been disturbed.
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Morning Snack
Lucy has a morning snack of hay to start the day.
Her vitamins and any medication she may need are tucked in a squash or cantaloupe to make it part of her breakfast snack.
Although Lucy has two bath tub size water containers for her drinking water, she prefers to use the hose. Sometimes she wants the care staff to hold the hose for her and other times she wants to do this on her own. But, watch out. Lucy often likes to hose down everyone else, too.
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Morning Walk
Lucy’s first walk of the day is a brisk walk that incorporates muscle exercises. This means hills and valleys to stretch all of her muscle groups; this also forms part of her physiotherapy to treat her arthritis.
Along the way, her care givers are careful not to give other animals too much attention. Lucy wants all of their attention and can become jealous. She let’s them know she wants their attention with a big huff.
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Meal Times
Elephants would forage in the wild, so Lucy’s food is put in high places, where she would need to reach up to find food; or inside containers where she shakes, rattles and rolls the container to find the food; or in various areas in her enclosure so she must walk to find the food.
Wild elephants forage throughout the day consuming foliage, tree browse, grasses, any wild fruit or vegetable matter in their range. A lot of what they consume is high in fiber as well as moisture. Captive elephants eat a variety of dry grasses in the form of hay which can be analyzed for protein, vitamin and mineral contents. If the hay is lacking any components, the elephants get a supplement, with vitamins and nutrients in either powder, liquid or specialized commercial feed. Lucy eats several different types of hay, grasses, vegetation, and tree browse. She is supplemented with vitamins and produce daily. She also has access to fresh drinking water 24 hours a day.
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Afternoons
Lucy is a free contact elephant, which means her care staff work with her directly without a barrier. This is conducted through positive reinforcement. Each afternoon, she does exercises with her care staff to ensure Zoo staff can continue work safely with her each day. Lucy is very careful with her movements. When ready to back up, she will stretch her back leg out to check and see if anyone is behind her.
Her care staff partner with Zoo program staff to coordinate a public elephant talk. These talks happen most afternoons and are an important way to help people to understand Lucy, elephants in general and the differences between Asian and African elephants. The movements that Lucy does during the talks are also part of her physiotherapy.
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Afternoon/Evening Walks
These walks are about exercise and fun for Lucy. This is when she plays games.
She likes to play hide and seek in the pasture. She searches the wooded area for her care givers and when she finds them she makes an announcement with a rumble or a roar.
As she walks through the pasture, Lucy likes to stop and push down a dead tree or two. Elephants can easily do this and Lucy certainly enjoys this activity.
She often grazes in the pasture, picking her favourite things to eat with the changing seasons.
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Bed Time
Lucy has quiet time before bed during which care staff will periodically check on her. Her bed time is usually around 10 pm. Before her care staff says good night, she has a bed time snack of brows and alfalfa crunchies. The lights are then turned off so she can peacefully sleep.
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