Have you ever seen an elephant with tusks so long they kissed the ground? For these Japanese kids trying to draw a “mammoth”, this may be the very first time. I travelled to Japan especially to meet the almost 3m long tusked world record alive Asian elephant. Zoos fulfil an important educational role and meeting such a long tusked elephant can be a life-changing experience.  Besides the educational role, zoos can and should also play a very important conservation role.