Have You Ever Scratched An Elephant’s Tongue? [VIDEO]

There's an old Persian saying, "By a sweet tongue and kindness, you can drag an elephant with a hair." Guessing that's true, I began our zoo visit with the tongue part of that proverb, by scratching Emily the Elephant's tongue. Kids, don't attempt this at home. I discovered decades ago that one of Emily's favorite things was to have her slimy, pink, ultra-soft tongue scratched, the same way we humans like our back scratched!

Over thirty years ago, I was one of the original committee members who helped bring Emily back home. The U.S. Government sent her away until we could construct a new elephant house for her. That was then, this is now. And so, along with Jathan Fink and Kristen Pacheco of WBSM, we took a field trip to the Buttonwood Park Zoo to see both Emily and Ruth, Asian Elephants, along with other animal guests of the zoo!

We found out from zookeepers Karen Santos and Mike Weaver a lot of interesting facts about two of the Southcoast's most celebrated animal residents! Keep a close eye on the opening of the video that shows my arm extending into Emily's mouth! Say AHHH!