However, he knew that Pingping did not want to shake hands with him; their relationship wasn't there yet. Pingping extended its trunk because it was asking for food.
He grabbed a piece of apple from nearby and offered it to the tip of Pingping's trunk.
Pingping pinched the apple with the tip of its trunk, retracted its trunk from between the bars, opened its mouth to place the apple inside, and then stretched its trunk out again.
After eating several pieces of apple, it seemed much happier, its eyes even squinted with joy.
"Wow, this elephant eats apples just like people eat dates!"
"These few apples seem not even enough to get stuck in its teeth; it hardly has to chew."
"It really can eat."
As Fang Ye fed it, he said, "Our zoo's main feed for elephants consists of forage, carrots, and apples, and in spring, also Chinese cabbages. With an ample supply of food, an elephant can eat about one to two hundred kilograms of food a day.