Green-Eyed Elephant
As our bond deepened, I discovered that Dumbo had developed a serious case of jealousy. Any time I spent more than a few minutes with other animals, he’d start making these pitiful huffing sounds from his enclosure.
One afternoon, I was hand-feeding some treat fish to the penguins when I heard a familiar “HRMPH” from the elephant house. I turned to see Dumbo standing at his fence, trunk drooping dramatically, looking like the picture of dejection.
“Oh, you big baby,” I laughed. “Are you jealous of the penguins?”
He turned his back on me and pointedly ignored me when I called his name.
“Don’t be like that! You know you’re my favorite.”
Only when I returned to his enclosure with an extra-large apple did he forgive me, and even then, he played hard to get for a few minutes before finally accepting my peace offering.
Having a jealous elephant boyfriend was definitely not something they’d covered in animal science class.
