The Pittsburgh Zoo and Aquarium's International Conservation Center works every day to protect and preserve elephants.

Bill Murray once quipped. "They say an elephant never forgets. What they don't tell you is, you never forget an elephant." That sentiment seems to ring true at the 1,000-acre International Conservation Center in Somerset County.

"Our focus, much like the zoo, there focus is also on conservation, but it looks different," said Ayeshah Al-Humaidhi, director of the center. "Here, we are really focused on breading for conservation purposes and really focusing on education."

And there is a lot to learn about the four African elephants: Jackson, Bette, Sukiri and Seeni, who call this lush woodlands prairie home.

Each of these animals survived elephant culls over the last several decades in different African countries, but has found a new lease on life here at the center. Now, not only are they thriving under the watchful eyes of their caretakers, but they are also helping to rebuild a species that has been listed as endangered.

The good news is the center seems to be leaving its mark. Their bull, Jackson, is tied to nearly 50% of elephant births in North America over the past decade. And reproducing tends to take up a lot of energy for these animals that weigh several thousand pounds. So, it may come as no surprise that these elephants eat around 200 to 300 pounds of food each day.

"It all kind of revolves around their mouths," said Thomas Bakke, the Supervising Keeper at the International Conservation Center. "We do their training with sweet potatoes, carrots and apples and stuff that they like, and the bulk of their diet comes from hay that is grown here at the ICC. And you can imagine that what goes in has to come out. So, we are picking it up on the reverse end of that as well, and that is then used as fertilizer for all of our hay fields."

Above all, these elephants are serving a vital role, and they seem to be loving the life they have been given, here in this pachyderm paradise.

The International Conservation Center is open to the public, but it is by appointment only. And they are also open for special events. If you want more information on this cool place, click here.