elephant yoga? TRUE? yes!

The Houston Zoo’s comprehensive elephant health program includes daily exercise for the entire herd. This program is part of mental and physical care for 12 pachyderms, stimulating their brains and bodies through a series of static and dynamic stretches, similar to yoga. Our elephant care team likens yoga to yoga and explains serious subjects in a cute way. make a headline In the world.

Our care team invites elephants into sessions several times a day. Sessions last from her 30 seconds to her 5 minutes depending on the elephant’s age and the purpose of the session. The 54-year-old Metai, the head of our family, is a little slow due to his age and needs some help with stretching. And Tess, a nearly 40-year-old mother of four and grandmother of one, remains flexible even with the most moves. She can even do a handstand! This is a behavior she has known for decades and requires a great deal of muscle control to achieve. If she’s ever done a handstand, she knows how flexible and strong she must be to get into (and out of) that position. Go Tess!

Keepers can observe the entire body from the body to the tail while doing “yoga” and check the range of motion. If we suspect anything is wrong, we call her in for an examination with one of our five staff veterinarians. To keep the elephants motivated to move, they are given special treats such as whole grain bread and bananas. A flock can eat a full hay at any time. Treats for training sessions are a fun bonus.

“Nurturing strong, positive relationships with elephants is critical to putting their health first and providing the best medical care,” said Christine Windle, Elephant Superintendent at the Houston Zoo. . “Elephant Yoga stretching sessions allow you to develop the elephant’s range of motion and build that relationship using the positive reinforcement of observing the elephant’s skin, feet and mouth. You can learn a lot about elephants.”

Stop by to see the Asian elephants at the Houston Zoo. You may also see yogis in action.