This weekend, students can see an elephant painting. No, not a painting of an elephant.
Luke the elephant will paint for an audience this weekend as part of Elephant Appreciation Day. He is one of four elephants that will participate in the event, at Two Tails Ranch, 18655 NE 81st St., Williston, from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Saturday.
Admission is $10 for adults and $5 for children ages 9 and younger.
Elephant Appreciation Day will feature elephant demonstrations, a horse performance and animals such as zebras, ostriches and emus.
There will be pony rides, face painting, food and music.
Patricia Zerbini, ranch owner, said the event will raise money for the ranch and its nonprofit, All About Elephants. The organization teaches the public about wild and captive elephants, Zerbini said.
Kim Schell, a 20-year-old UF biology junior, said she’s been to the ranch during a volunteer project. She thought it was “random” for elephants to roam a Florida ranch, but she enjoyed the experience.
Zerbini said she has to rely on word-of-mouth to advertise ranch events and tours, because all the money she makes goes back into the ranch.
“Hopefully, this will also alert the public a little more about the ranch,” she said.
