Trumpeting their excitement, the Zoo’s three elephants dashed into their exhibit to see what their keepers had been up to all morning. Tembo was in the lead when she stopped suddenly in complete surprise at the sight of a newly created pile of snow. It didn’t take long for all three pachyderms to discover that the icy hill held an elephant buffet, complete with pears, papaya, honeydew, watermelon, apple peels, and ficus branches of various sizes.

Thanks to a generous donor, the 44,000 pounds of shaved ice were blown into the elephants’ exhibit Friday, February 25. The “snow” was meant as enrichment for these intelligent critters, but it seemed to me that Zoo visitors had just as much fun watching each elephant pick through the pile of ice, searching for her favorite treat. Sumitha (Smitty) planted her front legs firmly in the middle of the snow as if trying to keep it all for herself. I wondered if her feet and legs would get too cold, but the elephant keepers assured me that elephants have several layers of fat to keep their feet from freezing. (Remember how Hannibal’s army included elephants that crossed over the Alps on their way to invade Rome?) Devi had fun using her trunk to make big circles in the snow, and Tembo plucked out all the carrots she could find first, then attacked the thicker ficus branches, snapping them in half with seeming glee. Elephant keepers Ron and Scott admitted that the snow enrichment was fun for them too—it gave them a good excuse to “observe” the elephants’ reactions to their efforts!

Watch video of the elephants enjoying the snow.

Debbie Andreen is the San Diego Zoo’s Web site editor.

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