Posts tagged "elephants"

This man loves his animals. In addition to being an Oscar-winning actor, Morgan Freeman has recently added his impressive narration skills to the new film "Born to Be Wild 3D," an Imax movie opening April 8th, that follows the work of two amazing women who've dedicated their lives to saving orphaned wildlife. The film cuts between Biruté Galdikas, who rescues orphaned orangutans and eventually returns them into the rainforest of Borneo, and Daphne M. Sheldrick, who adopts orphaned elephants in Kenya and raises them until they can return to the wild as well.

Here Freeman talks with AOL about some of his all-time favorite animals.

You know how the biggest creatures are sometimes the ones you want to play with the most? Sure, tickling a Yorkie or petting a hamster never hurt anybody, but sometimes, in real life, you see something like a horse or a llama or a giraffe or an elephant, and you're just like, I want that. You just want to play!

Feast your eyes on two big ol' babies: Baylor and Tupelo, elephants at the Houston Zoo, who got to splash around during the most fun bath we've ever seen. Look at the size of their heads! How can you not want to pull on a bathing suit and dive into that kiddie pool with these petite pachyderms?

Kristin Davis, who played the sweet and maternal Charlotte on "Sex and the City," is having her caring nature recognized in real life. The animal-loving actress has also earned praise and, now, an award for her dedication to helping elephants.

Davis will receive The Wyler Award from the Humane Society of the United States at the 25th Anniversary Genesis Awards in Los Angeles on March 19. The Wyler Award is bestowed upon celebrities and public figures who made news regarding animals, with past honorees including Ellen DeGeneres, Paul McCartney and Hayden Panettiere.

Prepare to say awww! This curious little guy, Uli, was born at 3 a.m. Sunday at the Wuppertal Zoo in Germany. Although he looks cute as a button, he weighs quite a bit more. At birth the African elephant weighed in at almost 220 pounds and is said to be a "strong young male."

Uli's mother, Sabie, carried him for 670 days and her labor lasted three hours with no complications. According to the Wuppertal Zoo website, mother and baby are currently resting and will be on display as soon as today.

Amidst all the excitement, the zoo is preparing for another birth at its elephant house. Elephant Punda is also expecting a bundle of cuteness.

This happens to us all the time: We're at the supermarket, and we're going to go to the right side of the aisle, but the person walking toward us goes to that side. So we move to the other side, and he goes that way, too. And then, before we know it, our basket is spilling into his cart and we've mixed our couscous with his Nutter Butters, and oh, it's just so awkward. But we (and our friends at Daily Squee) know it could be so much worse. Look what happens when you're carrying trunks!


More from AOL: For other happy photos and inspiring stories, check out GNN.com.

The Indianapolis Zoo is celebrating Halloween with their ZooBoo weekends (Oct. 15–17, 21–24, and 28–30). Visitors to the zoo have the opportunity to check out fun seasonal events, like a Halloween-themed dolphin show and trick-or-treat candy stations around the park. But humans aren't the only ones getting in on the fun. Elephants at the zoo got to smash and eat pumpkins as part of an annual holiday tradition! According to a zoo spokesperson, it only takes an elephant three bites to demolish a pumpkin.

Check out the video below. And be sure to come back to Paw Nation on Friday, October 15 for a listing of other ZooBoo events around the country.

Have you ever felt a giraffe's tongue? You may be surprised to learn that it's scratchy just like a cat's (though much larger).

The San Diego Zoo Safari Park (not to be confused with the San Diego Zoo located 35 miles away) is one of the only places I know of where visitors can hand-feed giraffes and rhinos. Situated on 1,800 sprawling acres, the Safari Park was designed to mimic the African savannah and Asian plains that are the natural habitats for the thousands of wild animals and endangered species that call the park home.

On a hot, sunny Saturday afternoon, I climbed into the back of a flatbed truck to embark on a Photo Caravan Tour of the Safari Park. Though pricey ($90 to $150 per person), the tour is one of the best ways to experience the San Diego Zoo Safari Park, and the only way you'll get the opportunity to feed giraffes and rhinos.

I sat in the back of the truck with a wildlife guide as the truck rumbled along a dirt road. We passed by Lion Camp, where a large lion lounged atop a broken-down, white Range Rover that was part of the exhibit. In the distance, gazelles, tigers , cheetahs and elephants roamed the open fields. The truck passed through a set of high, metal gates and the ride got bumpier. We were venturing into the open terrain that housed the truly exotic creatures rarely seen at zoos.

The circus recently came to Washington, D.C., and even before they pitched their tents at the Verizon Center, the show had begun.

As part of the Ringling Bros. Circus Zing Zang Zoom Tour, the elephants marched on Washington -- literally -- alongside horses, performers, and clowns in a lead-up to their shows in the nation's capitol. And at least for these viewers, there was a change from the usual D.C. donkey vs. elephant race.

We all occasionally dream of running off to join the circus. Well, Larry Carden didn't have to dream. He was born into one! Carden took some time from his busy schedule traveling with the George Carden Circus, International (started by his father) to answer our questions about being an elephant trainer.

Name: Larry Carden

Age: 29

Job title: Elephant Trainer

What do you do?
My father owns 10 elephants. I work with all of them but when I'm on the road I work with four. I grew up around elephants and have been training them for 12 years -- as did my father before me and his father before him.

What is it like to work with elephants?
Taking care of an elephant is a 24-hour job. They are always eating and pooping, so I am always on one end or the other. They also get washed with soap and water every day, up to three times a day. Along with that, if they aren't performing I train them every day. They are just like people with their personalities and they have different moods depending on the day.

What's the best thing about your job?
I get to see the U.S and perform for thousands of people a day, Best of all, I get to spend my time with my best friends the elephants Betty, Cindy, Vicky and Bo.

Do you have any advice to aspiring elephant trainers?
To someone who wants to train elephants: Start learning all you can about them and try to get around them. The more time you spend with them, the more they get to know you. All elephant trainers start at the back and work their way to the front.

See more photos of Larry and the George Carden Circus.