Asian elephant Cha Cha
With the new year, there is a whole lot going on around the San Diego Zoo’s Elephant Odyssey (see previous post, Elephants Tina and Jewel: Out and About). We are continuing to introduce the elephants from the Wild Animal Park to those at the Zoo.
After two months of allowing Cha Cha, an elephant from the Wild Animal Park, to bond with Sumithi and Devi, we have introduced Tembo into the group. (Tembo has lived with Sumithi and Devi at the Zoo for many years.) We wanted Sumithi and Cha Cha to bond, as Sumithi is the dominant female, and we wanted her to protect Cha Cha, if necessary. I use the word “protect,” because Tembo is much larger and faster than Cha Cha, and we had noticed that Cha Cha was a bit scared of Tembo during fence-line introductions. A fence-line introduction is when elephants are in adjacent yards but don’t share the same space. They can choose to step close enough to touch or not. I would also like to add that Tembo is a nice elephant with a mild personality; Cha Cha just needs to settle down and realize that Tembo means her no harm.
All four elephants have now been together for several hours every day for the last two weeks, and it is going really well. Whenever Cha Cha is uncomfortable with where Tembo is standing, she moves to Sumithi. If Cha Cha vocalizes a concern, Sumithi goes over to check on her, just as we had hoped. This will continue until Cha Cha completely settles in to the idea of having Tembo around. Eventually, and it could take weeks, we will keep them together overnight, with keepers observing them for the first few nights.
For those of you who read my last blog post, I told the story of Ranchipur getting scared by Tina and Jewel. Since then, he regressed in his training and refused to come in to the stalls or staging area. We keepers sat down and worked out a strategy to get him over his fear. The first thing we did was put Cha Cha, his girlfriend and longtime companion, in with him. This helped calm him and got him to enter the staging area, where he was reinforced with all his favorite foods. We then put Rachipur and Cha Cha in Yard Two for the night, adjacent to Tina and Jewel on one side and Tembo, Devi, and Sumithi on the other. While he is not completely cured of his fear, this seemed to do the trick. The keepers came in the next morning to find him cuddled up on the fence line with Tina and Jewel. This is very promising for future introductions. As I mentioned before, I was hopeful he would realize these ladies were cute and fun to hang out with!
Stay tuned for future exploits….
Victoria Zahn is a senior keeper at the San Diego Zoo.
How interesting! I loved the fact that you keepers all get together and work out the details to keep all these precious creatures happy. It sounds like the brainstorm is working. I really like the ongoing story about Ranchipur and Tina & Jewel. Keep them coming when you’ve time please. Thank you Victoria!
Poor Ranchipur, you’ve certainly got an introverted elephant there! Hopefully he will come on with leaps and bounds now that he realises that Tina and Jewel aren’t going to eat him.
It really is a tricky business, making sure the elephants all get on with each other. I do hope that Cha Cha and Tembo will become friends.
It always does my heart good when I read how much the keepers all love their animals. Your dedication and true commitment to these wonderful creatures is inspiring. Thank you so much…and please keep up what you are doing!!
I would be interested in what Mary and Cookie are doing. Thanks for the update.
It is interesting to realize how introverted and “timid” the largest animal at the SDZ really is. Since elephants are a matriarchical society, it makes sense that he would be more comfortable with his long time companion with him when facing new large ladies. Thansk for the update Victoria.
Best wishes for continued success with the introductions.
I wonder if male elephants are typically kind of shy around new females. When Ned lived at The Elephant Sanctuary in Tennessee, something similar happened. He was exploring his bit of the woods when he caught sight of one of the females through the trees. Their eyes met for a brief moment, then Ned turned and quickly returned to his barn.
Thank you for relating such entertaining stories to those of us who are too far away to visit in person. How much weight have Tina and Jewel gained, and are they still gaining or have they leveled off? Will Jewel need any more dental work? New photos would be wonderful. I’ll bet they hardly look like they did when they first arrived.
I loved your up-dated post. thanks!! we forget how our large packaderms can also be intimidated by another elephant that is bigger & bossier! kind of like kids! in the end, all seems to go well with theway you handle and work things out! kuddos to you & your keepers. elephants are very interesting animals I must say! keep us up-dated on how things go okay?
sincerely, girl from the north
I love these “behind-the-scenes” stories of the animals at the SDZoo … it makes the pictures, cams and visits so much more personal and intimate and, therefore, more educational and valuable!! As always, I am in awe of the commitment and ingenuity of the entire SDZoo and Wildlife Park staff … I love the animals and I deeply appreciate the ‘humans’. Thank you.
Sincerely, a girl from even further north … (heh heh, nancy)
So, Tembo is the only African elephant in the herd, correct? If so, I do not think that is healthy for the animals, as the two species would not meet in the wild. I think Tembo would make a good companion for Joyce, the lone elephant at Chicago, Illinois’s Brookfield Zoo.
Moderator’s note: The post Elephants: A Zoo Family explains our decision.
But why keep an African & Asian elephant together in the first place?
Re 9 and 10. Did you read Elephants: A Zoo Family? It gives a very lengthy explanation why the zoo keepers have kept Tembo in the herd. I have visited the zoo many times and have enjoyed Tembo’s presence in the herd. I believe the zoo keepers are some of the most caring people in the world. After 27 years with the Asian elephants do you seriously think Tembo would be better off in Chicago? San Diego has some of the best weather in the country and is one of the main reasons I live here. Anyhow, read the blog and the comments and, like the keepers say, the Asian elephants just think she’s one of them.
I was at the Brookfield Zoo several years ago in winter time and Joyce was locked inside for the winter. A better idea would be to allow here to go to Hohenwald Tenn. or San Diege or to Paws.End of Subject.
Looks like it rained last night at WAP. The deer are having a good time with the yard to themselves.
I looked up Ranchipur and Cha Cha on the elephant data base and it says that both of them came from The Morgan Berry Animal Farm. Cha Cha was sent to the WAP in 1971 and Ranchipur was sent there in 1981. If all this info is correct then Ranchipur and Cha Cha have know each other a very long time, no wonder they are such good friends.
Moderator’s note: Our records indicate Cha Cha was wild born. She came to the Wild Animal Park in from the Denver Zoo in 1971, where she had lived since 1968. We cannot verify if she spent time at the Morgan Berry Animal Farm. Records were kept as well back then
For those who wonder what elephants do in the rain, I can tell you they love it, as least at the WAP. It is just after 1 p.m. on 2-6-2010 and there are about 6 or 7 elephants in the pool which is higher than normal due to the rain. It is fun to watch a little trunk going across seemingly all by itself while the baby is probably walking on the bottom of the pool. I believe Umgani is probably in the middle of this funmaking, along with Khosi, Ingadze, Kami, and Punga. If you will take time to read the previous blog of 1-8-2010, comment 25, I described how several of the elephants had converted the side of a hill into a sliding board and I know Umgani and all the kids were enjoying that as well as Mobu who came and joined in the fun. I believe these African elephants are perfectly capable of enjoying themselves in the rain and they sure seem to be having a good time.
Hi, elephant keepers! Well, it’s 2010, and I am looking forward to seeing the 3 momma elephants having their baby elephants this year at WAP! Is there anything new about when these girls will be having their babies–due dates? Would like to know so that I can try to keep track of them. Let me know, ok? Thanks!
I did read a few of the comments about Ranchipur running away from Tina and Jewel at EO! That was funny coming from Ranchi! I figured that he would be the man of the elephant yard, but it turned out that he’s just a teenage kid despite his actual age! He’ll get used to these 2 girls soon enough once he gets to know them. I would’ve loved to have seen him meeting up with Tina and Jewel and then running on a video! That would have been soooo funny to watch!
You all are doing a great job at both ellie places. Please keep us updated about the pregnant ellie moms!
Chari Mercier
St. Pete, FL
I am so sad to hear the news of Cha Cha. She is on my screen saver at work right behind the big male (in the picture I have). We are one of the pepole that donated funds to have her moved. I thought she would be there for a long time.
Again I have only tears
Diana Callahan