Have you ever wondered what it’s like to be face to face with an elephant? Actually, it was really cool!

Last Friday, Nashua Telegraph reporter, Karen Lovett and I ventured to Buttonwood Park Zoo in New Bedford, Mass., to see Ruth, a 51-year-old Asian elephant who once lived at Benson’s Wild Animal Farm in Hudson, N.H. The former animal farm is being restored into a park. You can read story here.

Photos by Bob Hammerstrom

The first thing I noticed when Ruth walked up to me was her little eyes. Although they were about two inches wide, they seemed so lost in her massive body. The skin was rough and wrinkled. And her hair was like a wire brush. In fact, paint was scraped off the bars that separated us from her itching herself. She blinked each time the camera’s shutter went off.

Ruth is a bit curious of visitors, and wrapped her long truck around my leg as if to give me a hug. With more than 150,000 muscles in that huge trunk, I suggest wearing an athletic cup when approaching an elephant, or you may be singing soprano! We were told Ruth is a “swinger,” always swinging that trunk around looking for food, cameras and anything else she can pick-pocket from you.

After touching her huge tongue, I was amazed at the expressions she makes with her eyes and mouth. She seemed to smile as the elephant keeper massaged her tongue, which looked like a big liver. You can check out my video of Ruth speaking “elephant language” on The Nashua Telegraph’s web site as well.

-Bob Hammerstrom

Tags: animal, Animals, Benson's, Bob Hammerstrom, Buttonwood, elephant, farm, Hudson, keeper, New Bedford, nh, park, Ruth, talking, tricks, video, wild, zoo