【アフリカゾウ 八木山動物公園】後ろ足を気にするメアリーとベンの面影を探すリリー

Here is the situation of the African elephants, Lily and Mary, at Yagiyama Zoological Park. Around noon, in weather that felt like spring, Lily was fed hay in front of the visitor area. After taking a bite, Lily carried the hay with her trunk and went to the gate. Perhaps because there had been an event in the elephant enclosure in the morning, the gate between Mary’s side of the enclosure and Lily’s was closed. Lily, unable to go to Mary's side, spent her time looking bored. Meanwhile, on Mary’s side, a “feeding experience” was taking place, but Mary seemed to be concerned about her back legs. This is something I have noticed frequently in recent times. Previously, Mary had trouble standing up, so could she be having an issue with her legs again? At 3:00 PM, Lily and Mary returned indoors. From a few days before filming this video, Lily had been returning to the place that used to be Ben's room. On the first day I saw Lily going back to Ben’s room, she was carefully inspecting the room. Was she sensing Ben’s remaining scent? Or was she remembering Ben? I can’t know what’s in Lily’s heart, but watching her like that made my chest tighten. In Ben’s room, you can still see traces of where Ben had been. Because he had lived in that room for many years, some of the paint on the fence has worn off from friction. The places where Ben rubbed his nose or ears are quite high up. Seeing those spots, you can imagine the height of Ben’s body. Recently, I read an article introducing Taka, the African elephant at Asa Zoological Park, as “the largest African elephant in Japan.” I feel sorry for Taka, but... I felt a sad sentiment, thinking, “Ah, so that’s how it is...” When husbandry training started, Lily followed the caretaker’s commands and trained as usual. Lily’s devotion warms my heart. Even though Ben is gone, life continues day by day.