Manatee County elephant encounter hopes to turn visitors into conservationists
MANATEE COUNTY – At 9,000 pounds, standing 14 feet tall at the shoulders and leading the way with 3-foot long tusks, Lou will not perform tricks, twirl in a pink tutu like a ballerina, nor pull handstands for rewards. Sheer presence alone is enough to command her audience.
Her audience today is mostly two small vanloads of visitors from The Haven in Sarasota. They have brought with them a variety of disabilities which have, in this moment, dissipated during an encounter like none other.
With close supervision by minders, the guests are hosing, soaping and scrubbing down Lou for her daily bath but, given her compliant demeanor, it looks like the equivalent of a massage. The ad hoc groomers are in awe of the behemoth, and gentle in their application. So there are a lot of moving parts here to catch Lou’s attention. But amid the gargantuan proportions comes something sublime and unexpected. And maybe a product of aspirational interpretation.