Elephants get pedicures at China zoo

NANJING DISTRICT, China (CNN/CCTV) - Elephant feeders at the Hongshan Forest Zoo in east China's Nanjing city serve as manicurists for their charge. However, the job is much more complicated and physically demanding in the case of the huge animal.

Workers first use a stick to direct the elephant to put one foot on the railing. While one worker keeps feeding it big apples, another polishes its toenails using a file nearly 60 centimeters long.

Elephants seem to enjoy such a professional manicure, and their polished toenails do become more beautiful.
But the main reason for the operation is not for beauty.

Elephants' toenails wear off quickly when they live in the wild. However, since food is easy to get and there are less movements when they live in captivity, elephants' nails grow faster than they can be worn down. Therefore, bacteria may grow and eventually harm the health of elephants, according to Liang Zuomin, a feeder at the Nanjing Hongshan Forest Zoo.