Author Topic: Elephants - California / San Diego Zoo  (Read 2089 times)

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Offline Elaine L

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Re: Elephants - California / San Diego Zoo
« Reply #3 on: January 18, 2011, 11:26 »
Well, I kept an eye on the elephants while the Forum was closed down.  There is a fair amount of information to report.  We have a new baby elephant as of late December, and he is a lively little tyke.  He is full of energy and is curious about everything, and thinks nothing of running up to the other elephants, which is not always wise, as he may not always be welcomed, and he sometimes runs up to his dad, who does not like anything to come between him and his food.  His mom has her hands full keeping track of him, especially now that the Zoo has opened up  a new, extended enclosure for the elephants; there is a gate there, and mom will start through, but the Holy Terror, as I have dubbed the baby, has other ideas, and he takes off in another direction, and mom has to come back and get him.  Sometimes he gets scared, and runs back to mom and stays under her belly for about 1 minute, then he can't help himself, he is off again, with mom in hot pursuit.  He is the cutest little guy, but takes chances, and his mom, who is a very good mom, is just run off her feet. 

They now have two bull elephants at the Zoo, so the staff are working out a plan to allow them both to have females without having a battle of the bulls on their hands.  So far, things seem to be working out.

Offline Kinderchick

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Re: Elephants - California / San Diego Zoo
« Reply #2 on: November 04, 2010, 16:00 »
LOL, Elaine! Well now, I will let you know that I tune in to the Elephant Cam from time to time too!  :) They can be interesting and fun to watch! I'll bet there are other "closet" Elephant Cam junkies that we don't even know about!  ;)

Offline Elaine L

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Elephants - California / San Diego Zoo
« Reply #1 on: November 04, 2010, 15:40 »
Well, I never expected this, but I have turned into a San Diego Zoo junkie.  So, now it is the elephants.  The babies are as cute as can be, the mothers are devoted to their offspring and get along well with each other and the other females, and I am now getting to know them and their individual behaviors.  There is an elephant hiearchy, which everyone has to follow (much like in my office) but I have not seen any abusive behavior in the herd.  I also knew there was a male bull elephant in there somewhere, but I could not figure out which one he was, at first, because I could not see the height comparisons.  (To put the matter delicately, I figured it out when I spotted a fifth leg the other day.)  Anyway, the elephants are intelligent and fun to watch, but I still have seared in my brain the movie Dumbo, where the other females were so heartless towards Dumbo's mom.  A story like that is impossible to forget, even after all these years.  

Here is the Elephant Cam:
http://www.sandiegozoo.org/elephantcam/index.html