A Tale of Two Tails

Have you been missing the circus?  Well if you are in the Gainesville, FL area take a hop over to Williston.  Here you will find Two Tails Ranch. Two Tails Ranch was founded in 1984 by Theodore Svertesky (1954-1994) and Patricia Zerbini joined his venture a year later. The ranch started with 10 acres 1 barn and 1 yard. The ranch now has 67 acres, 3 main Barns, 9 yards, 2 male barns, a work shop, refrigerated food storage and they are working on a clinic. More than 250 elephants have called Two Tails Ranch home, both Asian and African male and female.  The natural coast of Florida is a prime location for elephants. The climate is almost identical to their native countries. The ranch is surrounded by green grass, live oaks and natural wildlife. It is a very peaceful environment!  Elephants have been boarded at the ranch for all different kinds of reasons, some to be retired, some for temporary boarding, elephants needing a place to stay while their own exhibits were being repaired or built, and some for training or medical reasons. The ranch also was successful in breeding with the birth of two Babies Romeo and Juliette in 1990 and 1991.

In 2009, Patricia decided to open the ranch to the public to have educational programs available for both elephant lovers as well as professionals in the elephant field. Having traveled the globe working with elephants on three different continents, she felt the need to have a facility where people could get up close and personal and get a firsthand experience with these wondrous creatures.  As a result, All About Elephants, Inc. was created.  The program offers an inside look into the world of elephants past, present, and future. Offering school programs, clinics, and lectures, it is an up close and personal look at these great creatures as they roam in free-style enclosures. There is also small museum that has a large collection of fossils, artifacts, and elephant memorabilia sure to amaze young and old alike. The ranch also provides an inside look at a variety of other species of animals domestic and exotic; including Grant Zebras Piere and Tache, African Spurthighed Tortoises Bert And Ernie, Red Foot Tortoises Daisy and Rosy, Ostrich Katherine, Emu Peepers, and Camel Louis. 

 

Admission to the ranch is $10.00 per child and $20.00 per adult.  You should call well in advance since tour times and days change. For additional fees there is an option to ride an elephant and an option to feed an elephant.