Hiya, Karen!
I absolutely love elephants, and when I found out that
Disney's Animal Kingdom Theme Park was going to do a special tour all about elephants, I packed my trunk and headed on down to
Walt Disney World. Now my kids want to do this tour every trip.
Caring for Giants is a tour I'll never forget. Taking you back stage and up close to the pachyderm population at the theme park, you learn not only about the elephants you see there and the day to day care and feeding of them, but also about conservation efforts, the African culture, and so much more. I'm not even going to try to hide it - I got all teary eyed watching baby Stella interact with her mom, Donna, as she learned her place in the herd and the things all baby elephants need to know.
The "leader of the pack" - or the matriarch, since elephants are a matriarchal society - is Rafiki. Rafiki, which means "friend" in Swahili, is nearly 40 years old, and she rules the elephant roost. She's always got a careful eye on her herd, and they pay her back with tremendous respect. They won't eat or go into the water until they have the say so from Rafiki.
The tour, which costs $30, is an hour packed full of elephant education. It's such an incredible experience, it's a tour that bears repeating.
Thank you for your question, Karen!
Anna