It's Summer Fun For Zuri!!!

At a resounding 18 months old and weighing in at nearly 1,500 lbs, it's just plain fun to watch Zuri, who is growing further and further away from that 251-pound baby we all met in the fall of 2009.

And, now that things are finally heating up here in Utah, you can see Zuri on a daily basis at Elephant Encounter where she'll likely be busy playing with her big, red boomer ball. The cute little elephant isn't quite big enough to walk over the ball yet, much like her mother can, but she sure tries and quite often she can be seen getting high-centered atop the ball and clumsily rolling of and back on to her feet.

Working with her trainers daily, Zuri is learning new behaviors that help to keep her healthy. Since you saw Zuri last summer she has learned to show her caretakers the bottom of her feet so they can make sure nothing gets stuck in them. She also opens her mouth wide so they can peek inside and check on her dental health.

Two special times each day at 10:30 a.m. and 1:30 p.m. you watch Zuri do these and other behaviors during the Pachyderm Program. The Program is a great place for guests to learn what it takes to keep an elephant healthy and happy, as well as what the keepers do on a day-to-day basis.

But, if you aren't able to catch that, chances are you will get to see her in her yard doing something funny, and once she really tires herself out she'll lay right down at her mother's feet and nap.