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Posted at 10:21 am March 26, 2008 by Brittany Archer and Fred Bercovitch and Jeff AndrewsAfter a very busy winter, life at African elephants at the Wild Animal Park is calming down a bit, though with one juvenile and three babies, it’s always exciting! (That’s right, a juvenile! Can you believe Vus’musi, aka Moose, just turned four years old? He is over 3,000 pounds!) Lungile is recovering well; she is back out in the large yard with all the other elephants.* Her appetite and weight are increasing. It looks like she’ll be back to 100 percent in no time!
Impunga celebrated his first birthday on March 11 with an elephant-sized cake made of ice blocks, browse, hay, and vegetables. His favorite part seemed to be the frozen alfalfa pellets, and after he had his fill the other elephants were able to join the party and helped him finish it off.
Six-month-old Phakamile, aka Kamile, is learning that her keepers don’t just mean lots of fun scratches and games. They also have that most wonderful treat: food pellets!! She is quickly learning that a keeper’s whistle means she did something fantastic. Her older sister, Khosi, who is 1½, is a good role model to follow. She is exploring the pools and has been brave enough to go out doggy paddling with the rest of the babies, although she got a rude awakening when she stepped off the last step into deep water! You can regularly find all of the calves splashing around in the small pool near the Elephant Overlook, and we are even starting to put water in the larger “adult” pool, though we are not filling it all the way yet.
As summer approaches and the weather warms up, all of the elephants are enjoying several new dirt piles and mud bogs we have placed in the yard. It is not uncommon to see all of the calves playing together, rolling around on top of one another and competing for the best patch of dirt. Sometimes they exhaust themselves and eventually lay so still you might mistake them for just another boulder in the yard. They can be inseparable at times, their own little herd of miniature elephants exuberantly running all over the yard! While they are exhausting to watch, their friendships no doubt make it easier on our many mothers who can count on getting a break or two throughout the day while an auntie takes over babysitting duties.
As Mabhulane, or Mabu, continues to enjoy being the only adult male in the herd, we are looking forward to extending our research into the nursing habits and development of elephant calves. After all, collecting data means we get to be entertained by the cutest little babies around! To see our tiny tots, stop by the Elephant Overlook or the Pachyderm Patio at the Wild Animal Park. You never know what antics you might see!
Brittany Archer is a senior keeper at the Wild Animal Park
Jeff Andrews is animal care manager of elephants at the Wild Animal Park
Fred Bercovitch is head of the San Diego Zoo’s Behavioral Biology Division
*Lungile was being treated for a postpartum infection after giving birth in November 2007. Sadly, her calf passed away in February 2008. More…
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March 26th, 2008 at 11:20 am
Thank you so, so much for this update. I have been wondering how everyone is doing. I wish I could see them in person, I feel like I know them all. I’ve watched elephant shows that tell about male elephants going into “musk”?. How does this affect Mabu?
March 26th, 2008 at 11:45 am
I love reading about the babies. I can’t tell you how many times I come down there to watch (the gang, as I put it). The baby elephants are so cute. I’ve started my own blogspot about W.A.P and share it with family and friends. I’m a photographer, so they get to see all the pictures. I’ve also been keeping watch on the lion cubs. How cute are they!! But I think my favorite is Kamile. I just love to watch her run and play. She’s so playful. I just want to give her a big hug! You all are doing such a fantastic job down there. Keep up the good work. I’ll be down in April for the photo caravan. Can’t wait for that.
March 26th, 2008 at 11:51 am
Thank you for letting us know about Lungile. It’s great news that she is getting her appetite and is back with her family, which probably will be a comfort to her.The youngster must be having a ball with the water and dirt. I caught them last year rolling in the mud. What a time they had. Thank you to all the staff who worked so hard to help Lungile recover from the complications of birth.
March 26th, 2008 at 12:23 pm
Thank you for the update. So happy to hear Lungile is recovering and back with the family. There is nothing cuter than baby elephants playing in water and mud.
March 26th, 2008 at 1:08 pm
Thank you so much for the update. I am glad that Lungile is doing so much better.
March 26th, 2008 at 1:28 pm
Thanks very much for the update on Lungile, and the “babies.” They are all growing so fast it is hard to call them babies any more. Kandula at NZP turned 6 in November. Since there is no adult male there yet, they have to rely on AI for their baby elephants. They sadly lost their female baby before Kandula due to a disease that turns out to be carried by African elephants and is deadly to Asian elephants. Since that discovery all zoos have separated their Asian and African elephants so that will not happen to babies in the future.
It is so much exciting to watch the fun the baby elephants are having on the videos that visitors to WAP have put on YouTube. They sure enjoy the pools, and seem to enjoy the mud as much or more than panda cubs.
Please keep us posted on Lungile’s and the babies’ progress now that things are getting back to routine at Elephant land at WAP.
Looking forward to a grand summer of water play I am sure.
March 26th, 2008 at 2:22 pm
Dear Brittany & Jeff & Fred,
Thank you so much for this wonderful update! We all celebrate you and your hard earned successes! I am so happy for Lungile and so glad she is back with her family, who I am sure have given her ‘elephant hugs’. I have so enjoyed the babies at play and the interaction and dynamics of the herd. When I am able to visit the WAP I can literally spend hours observing this wonderful pachyderm family. Blessings to all of you who have made all of this possible. Blessed Be All of Thee with Love, Judy J
March 27th, 2008 at 6:24 am
Wonderful blog about the calves and especially great to hear that Lungile is doing better. Great update!
March 27th, 2008 at 11:14 am
Fantastic news about Lungile. I love looking through the elephant photos; they are so cute.
March 27th, 2008 at 11:25 am
Hi Brittany, Jeff and Fred - Thank you for the terrific news. We are very happy that Lungile is back with the herd and doing well.
Now that Lungile is back, we will enjoy watching her and the whole group frolicking and splashing in the pool.
It’s hard to believe that Moose is four years old and weighs over 3,000 lbs! It was not so long ago that we enjoyed his first day on exhibit - so small, feisty and cute! It’s wonderful to watch them growing up right before our eyes.
Thank you for keeping us updated and a BIG thank you for all your hard work in taking care of these awesome animals.
March 28th, 2008 at 10:16 am
Thanks for the new update, you guys! I’m very glad that Lungile is doing very well and back in with the herd. I figured that being back with the other elephants will help in her recovery both physically and emotionally. Happy birthdays to 4 year old Moose and 1 year old Punga! Hope you got some brand new recent pics of the elephants in your photo gallery! Elephant cam is holding up pretty good so far. It did go out on us a few days ago for a few hours, but was back online the next day. Been able to see the elephants when I can catch them on the cam at the right time. Someone needs to be on the cam to get better closeups of the elephants in that big pool, especially the babies! Apparently, Kamile has a lot of great role models to look to! She has already figured out how to get some of those treats from the keepers already, thanks to her older brother and sister showing her how! Before long, Kamile will be a year old! Have the vets ever figured out why Lungile was not producing enough milk for her baby? That’s a new source of research to find out the reasons for that situation.
Anything new about if and when Swazi will get pregnant? She’s the only female elephant in the herd that has not had a baby yet, and I would love to see her be a mom to her own baby real soon. Let us know, ok?
Well, gonna go and get back on elephant cam to see who’s in cam view!
Loving the babies,
Chari Mercier
St. Pete, FL
PS: You may have found this out already, but National Zoo vets and elephant staff have done 2 artificial insemination procedures on their Asian elephant, Shanthi, back in mid January, 2008. Now, it’s a waiting game to see if this took or not, and they will give her an ultrasound to see if she is definitely pregnant in about 2-3 months. Shanthi had AI done on her last year, but it didn’t take, so no new baby elephant. If Shanthi is pregnant, she should have her baby by late 2009/early2010. Hope this works for them! They are totally redoing their elephant area called Elephant Trails, and are working on developing a strong Asian elephant herd there. Keep praying for them and keep your fingers crossed!
March 29th, 2008 at 5:01 pm
Hi! Me again! I got on the page that have the pictures of the elephant calves, and there has been no new pics of the elephants since Nov., 2007. Still no pics of Moose’s and Punga’s birthdays, and no recent pics of the calves that I know have grown alot in the last several months. Will you please get us some new pics of the elephant calves ASAP??? Will appreciate it a whole lot!!!
Thanks,
Chari Mercier
St. Pete, FL
March 30th, 2008 at 9:47 pm
Hi! To all of the elephant fans out there, Atlanta Zoo had some great news that was announced back in Nov., 2007. Their African elephant named Dottie is definitely pregnant, and she will be expecting her new baby elephant calf sometime in the spring of 2009. She was artificially inseminated back in June 2007, and the ultrasound that the vets did in Nov., 2007 showed a live baby elephant developing inside Dottie. Atlanta Zoo has 2 other female elephants in the herd, and they plan to keep the new baby elephant there to be an addition to this herd. Dottie is 25 years old and has been at Atlanta Zoo for 20 years now. This will be the very first birth of an African elephant calf at the zoo, and they are very excited about it! Now, we’ll all have to wait about another year for the calf to arrive! Now, Dottie will be eating for two!! You can check the Atlanta Zoo website for any new updates about Dottie. I’m also hoping that Asian elephant Shanthi will be pregnant, also. We won’t know that for another 2-3 months or so yet, so it’s a waiting game for Shanthi.
Hoping that you all at WAP will get some new pics on the gallery page of the babies along with Moose and Punga’s birthday party pics.
Chari Mercier
St. Pete, FL
March 31st, 2008 at 7:52 pm
Question about the future of the exhibit… Once Elephant Odyssey opens up will the current African exhibit be joined with the Asian one or will that be developed into something else?
Moderator’s note: The African and Asian elephant exhibits are at the Wild Animal Park; the new Elephant Odyssey is being build at the San Diego Zoo. The Park’s Asian elephants will move to the Zoo to live in Elephant Odyssey and the Park’s African elephant area will be expanded. At least, that’s the plan at the moment
April 3rd, 2008 at 10:40 am
Great news on Lungile’s progress. Thank you so much for catching us up.
April 9th, 2008 at 4:43 pm
I’m glad to hear that Lungile is doing better physically, but how is she doing emotionally? Did she go though a grieving process right after her baby passed away? I would be surprised if she didn’t; elephant mothers are so dedicated to their young. Who is Lungile most bonded with in the herd?
April 15th, 2008 at 10:16 am
Moderator,
Just wondering when we will get new pictures or recent videos on the elephants?
Thanks
Moderator’s note: It’s on our photographer’s “To Do” list. We’ll post them when they become available.
April 17th, 2008 at 3:24 pm
Hi, WAP!! Just writing to you all to check in about the elephants. What’s the latest news about Lungile? She should be fully recovered by now! Has Swazi had a chance to breed with Mabu yet, or have an AI done? Hope so! I’m also waiting for new pics of the elephants, especially the babies. That’s it for now.
Write back with a new update, ok?
Thanks,
Chari Mercier
St. Pete, FL
April 22nd, 2008 at 1:17 pm
Hi, again! Just got on the elephant cam page, saw the cam on, then after about a couple of minutes, it just went blank and had camzone on it! Hope nothing too serious is going on with it. Yesterday, I was on the elephant cam and saw that huge pool with a lot of water in it, then today, it was empty! What’s up with that? Elephants love to splash in the water, especially those growing babies! Speaking about the babies, we all need brand new pics of them, and brand new profile updates about them ASAP! The info on their profiles are a little outdated as far as age, weight, and other info. May you please get those updated? We will appreciate it alot! Also, still waiting to find out how Lungile has been doing, and if Swazi will be mating with Mabu or have an AI done on her. Let us know, ok?
Thanks,
Chari Mercier
St. Pete, FL
April 22nd, 2008 at 1:35 pm
How do the babies know who their mom is? By smell? Or do they recognize them by sight?
May 4th, 2008 at 5:32 pm
Hi, you all! Just got on the SDZ/WAP elephant page to check the elephant cam twice today, and it’s out again. Hope you can get it back up and online real quick. Also, still waiting on the new info on the elephant calves’ profiles with new info on them and new recent weights. New pics of them would be nice, too, on the profiles and on the photo gallery! I’m surprised that there were not any pics of Moose’s and Punga’s birthdays on the gallery! I was looking forward to seeing them. Any news about whether Swazi will be pregnant? Let us know about her!
Not much else! Just missed seeing the elephants today!!
Thanks,
Chari Mercier
St. Pete, FL