Elephant enclosed in soap bubble

PERRIS, Calif., April 9 (UPI) -- The owners of a Perris, Calif., elephant ranch say an artist has set what is believed to be a world record for the largest mammal to be enclosed in a bubble.

Artist Fan Yang wrapped Tai, a female Asian elephant, in a soap bubble before an audience that included Perris Mayor Daryl Busch, ranch owners Gary and Kari Johnson and representatives from Riverside County Animal Services and Perris Animal Control, the Riverside (Calif.) Press-Enterprise reported Wednesday.

Yang placed the elephant on a platform and used a pulley system of bubble wands to create a soapy circle around the pachyderm.

The event had originally been planned for a public showing at the Santa Ana Discovery Science Center, but was switched to a private affair at the ranch after animal-rights advocates criticized the plan.

"What we were doing in no way hurt the elephant. We know. We are the experts. That's what we do," Kari Johnson said. "Nobody protects the elephants better than we do."

Les Schobert, one of 11 current and former zoo professionals who signed a letter urging the Santa Ana center to abandon the plan, said the critics took issue with "the mind-set that tells people elephants are just here for us to use any way we want."

The feat has been submitted to Guinness World Records for certification.