Mid-afternoon, Bunny, Luke and Roxy sway their rotund, wrinkly bodies in anticipation. They know feeding time is approaching. But their shifting weight is not only out of excitement: It’s also out of necessity. Each of the three Asian elephants weighs about 10,000 pounds.
Their four teeth, each larger than a brick, help them consume 275 to 450 pounds of food a day. They feast mostly on hay, fruit, bamboo, grains and grass.
However, they don’t eat peanuts. Elephants’ affinity for the legume is a myth — they just like the salt.
Bunny, Luke and Roxy reside in the Gainesville neighboring city, Williston.
Patricia Zerbini, 47, runs Two Tails Ranch at 18655 NE 81st St., and All About Elephants is the educational program she started at the ranch, allowing public tours of the premises by appointment. For an additional fee, Zerbini conducts elephant rides in the warmer weather.
But lately, Zerbini said, weather has been tough on business.
Zerbini said the ranch had to cancel about three-fourths of its appointment-made tours in December due to an unruly winter.
And the elephants weren’t fans of the cold conditions, either. They can take temperatures outside into the mid-40s, she said, but like most who reside in Florida, they prefer warmer weather.
Zerbini, who opened the ranch to the public about two years ago, said she enjoys working with elephants because they are intelligent and don’t hit a learning plateau. One of the elephants, Luke, even paints, and his artwork is displayed at the ranch.
She also has an array of other creatures including Peepers, the emu; Katherine, the ostrich; Donald, the duck; Honkers, the goose; Pierre and Toche, the zebras; and Bert and Ernie, the tortoises.
Zerbini’s family has been working with exotic breeds for nine generations.
“I’ve always worked with animals,” she said.
Zerbini started with ponies, horses and donkeys, but it escalated from there.
Her father, Tarzan Zerbini, bought an entire circus when she was about 13 years old. He wanted the tents and lighting equipment but also acquired five elephants in the deal.
“I was actually always petrified of elephants as a child,” she said.
However, when their trainer left suddenly, her father put her in charge of the elephants, and her feelings changed.
In the future, Zerbini hopes to get a permit to make Two Tails an animal rescue center. She would also like to resume the ranch’s breeding program and bring in a few African elephants.
Her mother, Jacqueline Zerbini, 65, and sister Christine Zerbini, 32, help Zerbini run the ranch.
But still, a normal day for Zerbini starts at about 3:30 a.m. and doesn’t end until her last round is finished at about 10 p.m.
In addition to the animals, she takes care of the paperwork and bookings.
The average lifespan of the elephants at Two Tails is 65 to 73 years old. At a zoo, the number drops to 40 to 43. And in the wild, it’s about 18 to 22, Zerbini said.
But Zerbini said she couldn’t take all of the credit for the high number because she usually obtains her elephants when they retire from the circus.
Elephants that come from the circus tend to be in top condition, both physically and mentally, Zerbini said.
Those that have worked with humans benefit most from a stable family-type background.
“We have learned a lot more through trained elephants,” she said.
Nevertheless, Bunny, Luke and Roxy still get the chance to feel wild, Zerbini said.
Zerbini lets them spend about 20 minutes at a time out in the woods.
With plenty of baths, food and attention, life is “all about elephants” at Two Tails Ranch.
