Berkeley Museum Showcases Elephants

Although you won't see elephants sauntering around the UC Berkeley campus and mingling with the golden bears, a stampede has overtaken the nearby hills.

The Lawrence Hall of Science has opened an exhibit, entitled "Elephants!" which will be shown until Jan. 12 of next year.

Covering over 50 million years of elephant history, it includes glass-encased fossils, placards containing miscellaneous facts, and theorized evolutionary lineages of extinct elephant relatives like mammoths.

The exhibit presents modern elephants in great detail, providing information about their anatomy, diet, social life, and the various sounds they make.

At one display, visitors can press on buttons to hear these sounds.

Visitors can also interact with the exhibit by touching samples of elephant teeth, skin, and bone.

The exhibit also describes elephant's interaction with humans, including the negative impact of the ivory trade as well as the more innocuous phenomenon of elephant art.

Elephants have not only been subjects of art, but have become artists themselves, painting brush strokes on canvas with their agile trunks.

The museum has seen an increase in attendance since the exhibit opened in early October.

"We had a transitional period when we didn't have a main exhibit, so we dropped our prices by half," said museum spokesperson Jocelyn Alvarez. "Upon the opening of our (elephant) exhibit, we've had a lot of people."

Two wooly mammoths guard the entrance of the elephant exhibit.

One is an impressive ten-foot tall figure, covered with fur, and the other is a skeleton of the Hebior Mammoth, the largest and most complete wooly mammoth found in North America.

The exhibit contrasts with others shown in the past at the museum.

"I think that people have kind of a fascination for elephants for the same reason that they like dinosaurs, just because really big animals really appeal to them, especially small children," said museum employee Sean Keane, who works at the front desk. "Elephants are kind of different from dinosaurs in that they're just as big and just as prehistoric-looking, but they can't actually eat people, so that's kind of soothing for the young children."

Another part of the exhibit that appeals to young children is "Elephant Tails," a story-telling time that draws its material from elephant-related tales from around the world.

"This is our first story-telling, and the kids really like it," said Leanna Whitaker, who works in the museum.

Several children at the museum cited the story time as their favorite part of the exhibit.

"I'm trying to work on my voices and make it more interesting using different tones of voice," said Melanie Ramil, a story teller at the museum.

Another way to keep children's attention is by appealing to their senses, Whitaker said.

"You know that they're listening when they're interacting," she added.

In addition to story telling, the museum staff also gives a factual presentation called "Larger than Life."

"(The presentation) covers the difference between African and Asian elephants, how they look, their social behavior and their communication," Ramil said.

The verdict is still out on the exhibit's broader appeal.

"It's not as exciting as the dinosaurs that were here last year, because they had huge robotic, extremely realistic dinosaurs that actually frightened a lot of young children, but they were exciting," said museum patron Kristin Leimkuhler. "I wish they had one moving elephant.

"These robotic dinosaurs were very impressive. Unfortunately, it set a new standard for the kids when they came here."

Leimkuhler brought five-year-old Sylvie Wilk to the dinosaur exhibit three times.

Wilk, however, clearly stated that she preferred the elephant exhibit-"I just like animals," Wilk said.

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