The Elephant Sanctuary's Annual Pumpkin Drive

Hohenwald, TN - Elephants are the world's largest land animal, which means that they have big appetites. In fact, elephants can consume approximately 150 pounds of fruits, vegetables, grain, and plant material each day, including pumpkins.

October 25 through November 30, local residents are invited to donate their pumpkins to the elephants at The Elephant Sanctuary. Because the elephant's habitats are not open for public visitation, staff will deliver the donated pumpkins to the elephants' habitats to provide enrichment and supplement the elephants' decreased foraging opportunities during the cooler months. "We love this time of year because we know that the elephants will soon be the recipients of pumpkins donated by our Lewis County community and beyond. The pumpkins provide the elephants a novel treat, and the elephants provide donors an alternative to just taking their pumpkins to the dump," said Todd Montgomery, Senior Outreach Manager at The Sanctuary. Donated pumpkins may be brought to The Sanctuary's Elephant Discovery Center in downtown Hohenwald where there will be a designated drop-off location at the north end of its outdoor classroom, next to the re-tired elephant statue. Pumpkins should be uncarved, unpainted, and not yet decomposing. The elephants' habitats are closed to the public. Please call 931-796-6500 with questions.

The Elephant Discovery Center is open to visitors every Tuesday-Saturday, from 9:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. After visitors drop off pumpkins they can come inside to explore the interactive exhibits. There are no actual elephants at the Elephant Discovery Center.