April 19, 2000

Laura: four tons of educational fun

By Garret Leiva
Herald editor
Standing near the jungle gym and monkey bars, Laura seemed right at home in the Central Grade School playground - no small feat when you're 9 feet tall and weigh 7,500 pounds.
While she didn't ride the merry-go-round, the 17-year-old African elephant did provide nearly four tons of fun Friday for Central Grade School students and staff.

Photo by Garret Leiva
Owner Walton "Chuck" Walters handles Laura outside Central Grade School.

A larger-than-life visual aid, Laura is part of an educational program presented by Ivory Haven Farms. Walton "Chuck" Walters, owner of the 40 acre elephant facility in Newaygo County, travels 40 days a year presenting this up-close elephant encounter.
"We cover everything elephant: how much her heart weighs, how much she drinks, how much she eats, how much manure she lays down," noted Walters, who brought Laura and her bull elephant mate, Buster to America in 1984 after rescuing them from a culling operation in Zimbabwe.
Amidst a chorus of cheering children, Laura demonstrated a plethora of pachyderm facts and figures. Students learned why elephants have such good memories (an 8-12 pound brain helps), how they utilize the 40,000 muscles in their trunks, even how Laura uses six sets of teeth to eat 300 pounds of hay daily.
Showing off for the crowd, Laura demonstrated her sporting nature by kicking a football and using her trunk to pitch a softball. Displaying a more artistic side, the elephant played harmonica with her trunk, tambourine with her tail and painted T-shirts with her toes.
Students also learned about Laura's life on the farm.
Established in 1990, Ivory Haven Farms is a USDA licensed elephant breeding facility in Fremont, Mich. Here, Walters lives with his 'herd' in a special heated building which is a combination of barn and house. There is also a breeding barn which is a large pole building with 20 foot sidewalls and railroad iron pens and a 11,000 square foot electric fenced play yard.
A star attraction beyond school education programs, Laura's resume includes commercial work (she is the elephant in the TJM Silent Floor ads) and the movie "Ace Venture - When Nature Calls." She has also appeared locally, giving out rides at the National Cherry Festival.
Seeking preservation through education and entertainment, Walters noted that the 7,500 pound pachyderm is part of the family. She even watches television with Walters through a six foot picture window at home - although he doesn't give her the remote fearing she would only tune into "Animal Planet."
Being a teenager, however, there are moments of selective hearing in those ears shaped like the continent of Africa.
"When I have to use her middle name 'Elizabeth' she listens a little better, just like you did when you were a kid," Walters said.