The elephant Petita is getting ready to exceed half a century of life in the nature and animal park Terra Natura Benidorm. The Asian elephant will be 51 years old next Saturday 26th August. During this time, a team of veterinarians and caregivers of the park has accompanied and maintained the welfare of this elephant through a complete protocol of daily care, enrichment activities, veterinary check-ups, among other actions aimed at preserving their health.
Elephants usually live to be around 60 years old. Petita, year after year, gets older and starts to need some special care due to his longevity. On a daily basis, the team of experts at Terra Natura Benidorm check her weight, dentition, legs, eyes, digestive tract and state of mind. They are also given a balanced and varied diet with easily digestible food such as feed, fodder, fruit and vegetables to avoid possible intestinal obstructions.
If any problems are detected in their dentition, even the fodder is chopped so that they can ingest the food without complication and a soft diet is administered to facilitate the intake of the food. This care helps the elephants to achieve greater longevity. These animals are in danger of conservation and are therefore part of the Endangered Species Breeding Programme (EEP), promoted by the EAZA.
To commemorate the birthday of the elephant, who was rejected by her herd because she did not meet the canons of beauty of the species, a Hindu Holi festival will be organised in the Asia area of Terra Natura Benidorm next to the two elephant meadows, which have an area of 18,000 square metres and a pond area for the animals to bathe and refresh themselves.
The emotional celebration will begin with the arrival of an Indian entertainment group that will welcome the public to the Pangea area from 11.00 am. Visitors will be able to wear the traditional bindi or tidak on their foreheads, which according to Hindu culture symbolises wisdom. The procession will then move on to the park’s amphitheatre and once the informative birds of prey show is over, the offering of fruit and vegetables for Petita and her companion Kaiso will begin in the elephant meadows.
Both elephants will be able to taste this great dessert prepared by their caregivers with apples, tomatoes, watermelons, among other fruits and vegetables. After tasting this dessert, the popular song ‘Happy Birthday’ will be sung to the elephant Petita. In the village of Namastepur, the Holi festival will take place, in which more than 320 kilos of pigmented powder, 3,500 bottles of coloured water and 10 cannons with coloured powder under pressure will be used.
Petita’s story
When Petita arrived at Terra Natura Benidorm in 2004, she was initially discriminated against by her herd, as she was considered ugly by her peers due to her thinness and according to the canons of her species. In the eyes of her peers, this thinness made her physically unattractive. However, thanks to the help of her inseparable companion, Kaiso, the elephant overcame this rejection and was finally accepted by the herd until she was fully integrated.