Knoxville Zoo visitors can share bath times with the elephants

Photo by Briana Scroggins // Buy this photo

Nancy Weaver and her son Andrew, 2, of Powell were last Thursday’s winners of the Knoxville Zoo’s Sudsy Safari. Todd Naelitz, lead elephant handler at the Knoxville Zoo, sprays down Jana, a 9,500-pound African elephant.

'Sudsy Safari' at the Knoxville Zoo

Baths for the Knoxville Zoo's African elephants require gallons of water sprayed from a heavy-duty hose, five-gallon buckets filled with sudsy "elephant wash" shampoo and long-handled brushes to clean and exfoliate.

And, five days a week, help from zoo visitors.

The zoo hosts "Sudsy Safaris" at 1 p.m. Thursdays through Mondays through Labor Day. Visitors who hope to participate should arrive at the Stokely African Elephant Preserve exhibit's indoor viewing area at 12:50 p.m. One visitor, with a small group of family and friends, is picked to go into the elephants' domain to watch and perhaps assist with the scrubs for female pachyderms Edie and Jana.

The elephants select who participates. Each visitor group picks a numbered poker chip; matching numbers go inside a bucket. Last Thursday, elephant Curator Jim Naelitz carried the bucket with five numbers to 25-year-old elephant Edie.

Edie's trunk ducked into the bucket, scooping up the chip marked with the number eight, which belonged to Nancy Weaver of Knoxville and her 2 1/2-year-old son, Andrew. Zookeepers escorted the pair into the high-ceilinged, concrete-floored elephant barn.

In one stall, keeper Stephanie James hosed Edie, who weighs between 8,000 and 8,500 pounds and stands 8 1/2 feet tall. Muddy water rolled off Edie's back, belly and legs. When James said "ears" Edie waved her large ears out so the keeper could run water behind them.

In the next stall, Jana sat and rolled her 9,000 to 9,500 pounds down to lie on her left side at the order of keeper Todd Naelitz, Jim's brother. Jana blinked her large eyes as Naelitz soaped her back and behind her ears. "Last week, she fell asleep during her bath," said Jim Naelitz.

Each elephant stall's thick metal bars are wide enough for a human to slide through and an elephant trunk to wave past. Edie's trunk darted out the bars, smelling shoes, pockets or pants of any human close enough for the slightly damp inspection. Sudsy Safari helpers like the Weavers stand behind the bars until keepers direct them to, if they wish, come inside to help rub a pachyderm's back or hold a water hose.

Being that close seemed slightly intimidating for young Andrew Weaver. He didn't want to leave his mother's arms but his eyes rarely left the elephants. He passed on an offer to help scrub Jana's back while she rested on the floor. He sat in the crook of his mother's left arm as she used her right hand to rub Jana with a brush. He tossed slices of apple, sweet potato and potato to Jana as post-bath treats.

Jim Naelitz said the zoo wanted to offer the safaris to give guests a chance to see the elephants closer. "The big thing for me… was guest interaction," he said. "Having an increased appreciation (for the elephants) gives a sense of connection. And key for success in the conservation story is the more you can get people involved and increase awareness."

Keepers direct the elephants to stand still, lie down or raise a leg for cleaning. Visitor participation varies depending on visitors' level of calm, interest and ability to follow directions. For some, like Andrew, just being so close is enough. Others may get to help scrub or hose. Good assistants listen to keepers' instructions and are calm and relaxed around the elephants. "They know if you're nervous; they sense it," said Jim Naelitz.

The safari also depends on the elephants' moods. "This is their home, their space. We want them to stay as comfortable as possible. If they are acting squirrely that day, we won't do it," he said.

As Andrew Weaver watched keepers finish washing Jana and Edie, he whispered to his mother.

"Can I have the elephant come home with me?" he asked.

No, Nancy Weaver answered. But she suggested they'd stop by the zoo gift shop to see if Andrew could take home a toy pachyderm.

Amy McRary may be reached at 865-342-6437.

© 2009, Knoxville News Sentinel Co.
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