Elephant-Loving Dementia Patient Feeds Her Favorite Animal at Whipsnade Zoo, Says It's 'Dreams Come True'

A care home granted the long-time wish of a woman living with dementia to share a moment with an elephant in a zoo.

(Photo : Pexels/Oleksandr P)

Kay Day, an 87-year-old woman who rarely leaves her room at Blakelands Lodge in Marston Moretaine, was able to visit her favorite animal at Whipsnade Zoo.

The spokesperson of the care home said they raised funds for the trip because they wanted to do something kind for the elders, who spend a lot of their time alone.

Dream come true

Day described the encounter with the elephant as a dream come true.

The elder said that she never expected to see an elephant again.

"It's such a wonderful feeling to have an elephant take some food out of your hand, put it in his trunk, curl it up and put it in his mouth," she said during an interview.

Day, who has a room that is decorated with elephant toys and photographs, said her favorite part of elephants is the trunk, which is said to be "so gentle."

She also expressed gratitude to the organizers of the trip, saying that she could sit forever with an elephant by her side.

Elephant keeper My Eriksson said that the zoo is delighted to meet an elephant-loving person.

"As a conservation zoo, working to protect wildlife and connect people with nature, we're honoured to have been able to play a part in making Kay's dream come true."

Whipsnade Zoo is part of the Zoological Society of London, an international science-driven conservation charity aiming to restore wildlife in the United Kingdom and around the world, according to the zoo's website.

Elephant behavior

The elephants at Whipsnade are part of a European-wide elephant breeding program.

The zoo is home to a multi-generational herd of seven Asian elephants, including male Ming Jung, matriarchs Kaylee and Lucha, adult females Karishma and Donna, calf Elizabeth, and the newest calf, Nang Phaya.

Whipsnade Zoo's Center for Elephant Care recently posted a video of 11-month-old elephant calf Nang Phaya actively playing at night.

Elephant keeper Stefan Groeneveld revealed that cameras are being used to watch the herd at night so that they can give 24-hour care and learn more about the changes in the family dynamic after Nang Phaya's birth last year.

He explained that from the latest footage, the public can see that it has been always playtime for Nang Phaya, who seems to be not ready to grow up yet.

The footage provides a unique look into the herd's nighttime routines and inspires support for the conservation zoo's efforts to safeguard endangered species.

The herd directly contributes to conservation through vital research such as dung sampling to support fecal DNA testing, sound monitoring to aid communication understanding, and motion studies and thermal imaging to inform technology being developed to protect and conserve elephants in the wild.

Groeneveld stressed that elephants are one of the world's most endangered species, suffering everyday dangers in the wild from poachers, conflict with the populations with which they coexist, droughts, and habitat loss and degradation.