There’s an elephant in the room. Or five, to be exact.

Kari and Gary Johnson recently moved themselves, their five elephants — Becky, Rosie, Kitty, Tai and Dixie — and trainers to the Hill Country, starting an endangered animal preserve, called The Preserve.

Both Kari and Gary have been surrounded by elephants their entire lives while living in California and showcasing their special animals at fairs and other local events.

“I was exposed to them around my step-father who was a trainer when I was younger. They were just always around,” Kari said. “When you have had that intimate experience with them, I don’t see how you can’t love them. Even when you meet them for the first time, you just fall in love.”

Gary purchased his first elephant at age 14.

Experience the elephants

The main goal of The Preserve is to build the bridge between elephants and humans.

There are currently fewer than 35,000 Asian elephants left in the world and just under 450,000 African elephants.

“These are an endangered species and we believe that the contact that our friends, neighbors and visitors have will help create more ambassadors for these creatures,” Kari said. “They really can touch your heart.”

“We believe that unless you have contact with something, why would you even care about it?” Gary added.

At The Preserve, guests will have the opportunity to interact and learn about the history of the elephants, what they eat, what they do each day and have the chance to bathe them and give them a pedicure.

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