On May 15th, one year from the date of her arrival at ARK 2000, Ruby, the former Los Angeles zoo elephant, received a surprise visit from her benefactor, Bob Barker. The beloved, retired game show host and a television crew from “Entertainment Tonight” spent the day with Ruby and her elephant companions who shared Ruby’s special treats on her anniversary.

Ruby refused to share her sugar free anniversary carrot cake with the other elephants, and greedily devoured the delicious concoction as the film crew recorded the event.

“She even licked my fingers,” Barker stated as the giant elephant’s trunk gently cleaned the remaining crumbs from his hands.

“It was a magical day,” Pat Derby, one of the PAWS’ directors exclaimed. “Bob provided the initial funds to retire four elephants that came to us last year, and we wanted him to see all of them. It was such a delight to introduce him to ‘Barker’s Beauties’ and to share their stories with his many fans.”

Ruby, Ed Stewart, Nancy Burnet, Bob Barker
and Pat Derby-Mara and 71 in the background.

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