Zoo's elephant pair trumpets new toy

The two elephants waited in their yard. The chain, with the 6 foot long oval brush suspended in the middle, had been installed wall to wall, near the front of their lair.  Visitors watched through if through the bars, wondering if those bars were big enough. Curious Lisa ventured through the big double doors to sniff the brush and chain, found it safe, fell back, reassured, and drifted outside.  She peered through the door while Monica took over. It was wonderful to see an elephant, who customarily moseys along, shift into high gear for fast, furious action.  She came in a steady rush, ears flapping, gray looming, tornadic. she grabbed the chain with her trunk, hurled the apparatus at the ceiling, butted the brush over and over against the wall, rattling the chain so it clanged like giant wind chimes.

"I haven't seen 'em have this much fun with anything," said keeper Heidi Fuciarelli. Fuciarelli reached through the door and rattled t the chain, and Monica returned to claim and fling it, again and again. "She doesn't like it when we move her things," Fuciarelli explained. Monica rejoined Lisa, and the two, each with her head against the other's rear flank, tramped in a circle, raising their snouts skyward to trumpet, shrieking, while rumbling deep in their chests.

Fluid drained from their temporal glands. "They do that when they get excited," remarked keeper Kim Rutkowski.  "In the wild," said animal curator Louise Hill," They use their heads to hammer things, and they throw stuff about with their trunks, so this is good excitement for them."  "Actually, they are playing it's a mock show on their part," Hill said.

Monica resumed another round, and Lisa came forward and barely touched the chain, but Monica pushed her away. "eventually, she'll let Lisa play a bit but only for a little bit, "Hills said.  "It's hard for us to find a toy they can't destroy." Michael Wauhop, who had helped with the installation, was satisfied it had met the test.  Hill had read how another zoo had devised the indestructible. She sought the help of Jim Daman, engineer with the city's storm water management division, which uses 10 big sweepers.  The brushes wear out in about a month, and one was trendy for retirement.  "We're gratified we can recycle it with the zoo," he said.  Publicist Melanie Pesola agreed.  Tammy Linquist, marketing director, said that the zoo's Spring fling will feature, among clowns, jugglers and hay rides, an Easter egg hunt phased for three sets of ages up to 11. The hunts start at noon Saturday.  Monica and Lisa will not be forgot, God wot. In their compound, the snouts that hurl 200 pounds will be bent in retrieving hidden Peeps, tiny marshmallows figures, their favorite treats.