Video Shows Elephants Having Fun With Logs

It was a win-win for both Peggy the Train and the elephants at the zoo. A makeover at the World Forestry Center's Peggy the Train exhibit meant that the elephants at the zoo got a bunch of new giant logs to play with.

Workers from Stimson Lumber donated their time to forklift five giant Douglas fir logs from the train exhibit and move them to a few hundred feet to the Oregon Zoo's Elephant Lands habitat.

According to zoo experts, the logs — each around 30 feet long and 3 feet in diameter — will promote exercise and encourage natural behaviors among Portland’s beloved Asian elephant family, an extension of the zoo’s renowned environmental enrichment efforts.

"They'll give the elephants new surfaces to scratch on, push against and climb over," said Shawn Finnell, the zoo's senior elephant keeper. "Lily especially is an active climber, and I expect her to be all over them."

The World Forestry Center, which is currently updating and renovating several of its outdoor areas, said it was time to replace the logs, which had weathered after nearly 15 years on display.

"The World Forestry Center staff is thrilled to see our big logs go to a happy home," said Eric Vines, the center’s executive director. "The Oregon Zoo is famous for providing great animal welfare, and this will also demonstrate the connection to forests and trees all creatures share."

Photos courtesy Oregon Zoo