Inokashira Park Zoo in western Tokyo is getting ready to fete the 65th birthday next month of Hanako, the oldest Asian elephant in Japan.
"She likes people very much," said Miwa Saito, 28, one of four keepers who look after the pachyderm.
They feed her a special diet every day because she lost all but one of her four teeth around 30 years ago. As a result she suffers digestive difficulties and is troubled by constipation.