Fruit Party For Sumatran Elephants Held Bali Zoo To Celebrate World Elephant Day
JAKARTA - Welcoming World Elephant Day which is celebrated every August 12, Bali Zoo in Gianyar, Bali, provides a sweet surprise to the loyal inhabitants of the Sumatran elephant (Elephas maximus sumatranus). Not just routine food, this time the elephants are spoiled with their favorite fruit party.
According to the Head of Public Relations of Bali Zoo, Emma Kristiana Chandra, this fruit dish is not only to meet nutritional needs, but is also a form of stimulation of natural behavior, intelligence training, and maintaining the fitness of these large-bodied animals.
Two elephants act as the main stars of this event: Nurhayati, a 36-year-old female elephant, and her son Kama, a male elephant aged one year and nine months. Under the supervision of the handlers, Nur enjoyed various fruits such as bananas, watermelons, melons, corn, and elephant grass, while Kama was no less enthusiastic about tasting every piece available.
The head of the Elephant Handler, I Gusti Ketut Alit, explained that adult elephants such as Nur consumed an average of about 180 kilograms of feed per day according to their almost three tons of body weight. Meanwhile, Kama, which weighs about 400 kilograms, is still breastfeeding, but is introduced to soft fibered foods such as fruits.
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Bali Zoo itself has succeeded in breeding several elephant cubs in recent years. Kama was born in 2023 as a result of Nurhayati's marriage and a male elephant named Budi. Previously, in 2022, Lanang was born, the second child from Budi with a female mother named Teri. Currently, the 12 hectares of zoo cares for 14 Sumatran elephants, consisting of four males and 10 females.
The care provided includes routine health checks every three to six months, including blood tests, body weight, administration of vitamins and minerals, nail care, to bathing twice a day and playing in puddles of water.
Emma hopes that this fruit party activity will be a means of education for visitors and raises concern for the survival of Sumatran elephants, which are now threatened with extinction according to the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN). Population in the wild continues to decline due to hunting, habitat shrinkage, and conflicts with humans.
"We invite the public to play an active role in conservation. Bali Zoo is committed to breeding and preserving Indonesia's endemic animals," concluded Emma.