Topeka Zoo spotlighted Cora and Tembo Saturday to celebrate World Elephant Day
Elephants are among the world's most intelligent animals, and Topeka Zoo pachyderm Tembo is particularly smart, said Wrylie Guffey, the zoo's elephant manager.
Guffey told The Capital-Journal Thursday about how Tembo and Sunda, another Topeka Zoo elephant who is now deceased, once teamed up after finding that neither could reach a tree that was hanging over their habitat.
"Tembo put her front legs up on Sunda's back so she could reach that tree and pull it down, so they could both eat it," she said.
Tembo, a 53-year-old female African elephant, and Cora, the zoo's 65-year-old Asian elephant, were focus of activities that were held at the zoo Saturday, which was World Elephant Day.
Topeka elephant Cora starred in film with Sally Fields and Burt Reynolds
Cora co-starred in a Hollywood movie, appearing with Sally Fields and the late Burt Reynolds in 1980's "Smokey and the Bandit II."
The movie was a sequel to the highly successful 1977 film, "Smokey and the Bandit."
It featured Reynolds' character,"Bandit," teaming up with a trucker played by the late Jerry Reed to try to take Cora to a presidential political convention while being pursued by a sheriff played by the late Jackie Gleason.
Cora has lived since 2016 at the zoo in Gage Park.
She came there at the same time as Shannon, an African elephant, who died there the following year at age 35.
Staff members each morning examine Cora's feet and apply pain medication to her tail, Guffey said.
"She doesn't show a whole lot of signs of pain, so we think she's doing pretty well," she said.
"Cora doesn't chew as much as she should, so the zoo staff now breaks up her hay for her," Guffey added. "It's a big job and a messy job, but we do it because we love her."
Outdoors in her exhibit Thursday, Cora used her trunk to throw dirt onto her belly and back to protect her from flies and the sun.
Cora initially was the dominant elephant between her and Tembo, but Tembo has since become dominant as Cora has become increasingly geriatric, Guffey said.
While zoo visitors are interested in the elephants, the elephants are also interested in the people, she said.
"They really like the attention," Guffey said.
Tembo might break a Topeka Zoo record
Tembo has tusks, while Cora does not.
Tembo uses her tusks as a tool, said zookeeper Rachel McNemee.
Tembo has lived at the Topeka Zoo for 47 years, since 1976.
She is approaching the zoo's record for an animal's having lived there the longest.
That's held by Sunda, an African elephant who lived there for 52 years, from 1966 until she died at age 58 in 2018.
Sunda and Tembo found themselves at the center of an elephant-sized controversy in 2010 when a national group called In Defense of Animals urged the city to retire them to an elephant sanctuary in Tennessee.
Nearly all the 112 seats in the Topeka City Council chambers were filled on the day that February when city council members squashed that request in a 7-1 vote.
Council members again considered and rejected that move in 2012.
Aging elephants have generally been healthy, with a couple scares
Zoo director Brendan Wiley announced in 2015 that Sunda and Tembo had gone on diets and lost considerable weight, and that foot problems and aggression they had been experiencing subsequently disappeared.
Tembo now weighs about 8,600 pounds, which is "near the top of where we want her," Guffey said.
Cora weighs a little more than 7,000 pounds, said Shirley Llizo, the zoo's veterinarian.
Cora and Tembo's outdoor exhibit features hay feeders above their heads, which enable them to both eat and stretch their necks, Guffey said.
"We give them more food every couple of hours," she said.
"We regulate how much they get so they don't overeat," Guffey added.
The elephants go through regular training sessions that are "kind of like yoga," in which they lift their feet and do exercises designed to keep them in shape, she said.
"On hot days, we hose them off," Guffey said.
Cora and Tempo are among the oldest zoo elephants of their types in the nation, Guffey said.
Elephants grow six sets of teeth during their lives, and Tembo and Cora are both on their sixth set, she said.
Twice, the Topeka Zoo has announced that the end appeared near for Cora. Both times, she's pulled through.
Cora was most likely nearing the end of her life, the zoo announced in July 2019 on Facebook. She was experiencing decreased appetite and was becoming less active.
"Blood work shows signs of tissue destruction and in her case, most likely points to heart failure," the Facebook post said.
But Cora survived.
The zoo then announced Aug. 12, 2021, on Facebook that Cora's health had deteriorated in the prior few days.
"While we aren't ready to give up hope, her age might be catching up to her," it said.
The zoo then shared the good news on Aug. 17, 2021, that Cora's activity levels had returned to nearly normal and that she was in a "much better place."
More: Topeka Zoo's Sumatran tiger program is critical to species survival. Here's why
Here's how Topeka Zoo celebrated World Elephant Day Saturday
Summer is the worst time of the year for Cora, said Llizo, the veterinarian.
The rest of the year, she said, Cora stays pretty healthy.
Cora is "very old lady-like," and prefers to stick to her same routine, said zookeeper McNemee.
She said she's found it "very rewarding" and "kind of humbling" to bond with Cora and Tembo and gain their trust.
Their keepers pn Saturday gave the elephants treats, hose them off and talk to the people gathered outside their exhibit.
The zoo is also holding a raffle in which the winner will win the right to bathe Cora, Guffey said.
Tickets are available throughout the month of August, with a donation of $500 or more guaranteeing the donor the right to bathe an elephant, said the zoo's website, where further details are available.
Contact Tim Hrenchir at threnchir@gannett.com or 785-213-5934.
This article originally appeared on Topeka Capital-Journal: Meet Topeka Zoo elephants. One is a movie star, one could break record
