Elephants Connie (in front) and Shaba at their new home at the San Diego Zoo.
Many people have been asking why we conducted such a large-scale, multi-zoo, multi-elephant transfer. It is an appropriate question. This operation has been in planning for several years. It begins with the original rescue of the elephant herd from a scheduled cull in Swaziland back in 2003. Our plan was to prevent the elephants from being killed, to protect the land and help other species by removing the elephants, and to improve the reproductive potential of African elephants in North American zoos. We succeeded in all three.
When the African elephant breeding program at the San Diego Zoo Safari Park started becoming successful, we began to consider how to best manage a growing population. We wanted to maintain female calves with their mothers for life and male calves until adolescence; this is natural in the wild, but not the norm in zoo populations. Typically in the wild, if a herd becomes too numerous it will split down matrilineal lines, and new bulls will sire future offspring. To do the same, we needed to identify a zoo that could be the recipient of roughly half of our herd’s females, their offspring, and the most appropriate bull. This facility needed to have a state-of-the-art facility, well-trained staff, appropriate climate, management program that mirrored the one our elephants were already used to, and be relatively close to San Diego. The Reid Park Zoo in Tucson, Arizona, worked very hard over several years to meet those criteria.
We chose to send to Reid Park a breeding group of elephants to their brand-new elephant facility and receive from them their two elephants, Connie and Shaba, into our Elephant Odyssey facility at the San Diego Zoo, where we specialize in caring for older elephants.
The selection of the best animals to send to the Reid Park Zoo was very difficult, and not just because of the close relationship we have developed with all of them. The decision had to balance various factors: who created the best social group in Tucson and in San Diego, what demographic and genetic factors were most important, and who are the best trained elephants in the herd. In the end, the decision was made to send Mabu, Lungile, Litsemba and her two calves, five-year-old Impunga and one-year-old Tsandzikle (Sundzu). This move was made in the best interest of the individual elephants and for the species as a whole.
Now that the transfer is complete, we hope that more African elephant calves will be born at both facilities combined than would have been born at just the San Diego Zoo Safari Park if the move hadn’t occurred. All of this effort is, of course, simply to ensure the survival of this amazing species.
Jeff Andrews is an associate curator of mammals for San Diego Zoo Global. Read his previous post, How Far Do Elephants Walk in One Day?
OMG! A sensible well thought out plan by professional elephant handlers. Keep up the good work everyone!
i know this was a loooong time ago… can somebody PLEASE HELP ME!!????? when i was 12, 1976 i think… we went to san diego zoo. i fed and bonded with an elephant name PEACHES.. does anybody know if she is still there or even alive…. would appreciate if anybody has any info…God bless
Moderator’s note: Peaches died in 2005.
Thank you so much Jeff for taking the time to tell us this info. I have been looking for any and all updates I could find. I hope the “new” herd in AZ and the “remaining” herd at SDZ remain happy and healthy.
Thank you for letting us know. Sundzu is the elephant I feel sad about, he will have no other elephants his size to play with. I wonder if you could answer a question? Since Msholo did not sire any calves in Florida, has he been fertility tested?
I too have wondered about Msholo’s ability to sire but I would expect as in most matings. not every one ends up producing a calf. Just look at Swazi it’s took her years to finally have a little one.
As to Sondzu being without playmates, Musi went through the same thing when he was born being the first calf for a few years without other youngsters around him and he’s turned out to be great elephant so far.
Even in the wild not all herds have mulitple calves around the same age and manage just fine.
Msholo has not been fertility tested. In Tampa, he was housed with a larger bull; until now in San Diego he has been housed with a larger bull, and this may have suppressed his viability. Now that he is the sole dominate bull, we expect him to become fertile very quickly. If he does not sire any pregnancies soon, we will look into it further. Please know that it would be a large endeavor!
Is it not true too that the females have some say in who they will willingly mate with in order to get the best genes for their offspring or does that not play into things in a controlled environment like a zoo/park?
I thought the female adults in this herd chose both Mabhulane and Msholo (and the male adults chose them back) in the wild, when the herd formed before coming here.
Your question also reminds me. what about when Khosi and Phakamile are all grown up? How do you figure out which male adults currently growing up in other zoos in their age group they would like? Good thing Safari Park has 2 elephant yards, in case the zookeepers being in an outside male for that and he’s just not that into them or they’re just not that into him!
There is no scientific evidence of mate preference in elephants like there are in other animals. In general the dominant bull mates with any female that comes into estrus.
Thank you answering my question.
Mark- -The Species Survival Plan (hope I got the name correct) keeps a record of all the elephants (as they do with all animals) in zoos/parks throughout the world and determines which ones will be best suited to be put together to ensure gene pools are diversified for the future of each species.
well if you want to mirror the wild, why did you send one female with no calves and a female who has 2 male calves? that means the 2 little boys will have to leave Reid Park later on which will leave Reid Park with 2 grown females who may or may not have more calves. I really don’t like splitting up families even tho I know you have to do it to keep the herd from inbreeding.
Who is taking care of Kami and Emanti now with Litsembe and Lungile gone?
I believe Umngani has been watching over Kami and Emanti. I know for a while afterwards you could always find those two with Umngani and her crew.
Good questions!
I’m guessing that the rest of the female adults in the Safari Park herd will continue to take care of Phakamile and Emanti (especially Umngani – didn’t she already sort of take Umoya’s kids under her wing along with her own 3 kids?).
Kami and Emanti were initially paired with Umgani and her family after Moya’s passing. They seem to have faired well since then and I would suppose when they feel the need for maternal care they still turn to Umngani. Though I haven’t observed them on the cam really needing any, they appear to socialize well with all the ellies both the adults and the other youngsters.
Teresa, the females definitely will be having more calves with Mabu’s track record;).
The San Diego Safari Park only has one cow with females calves in her unit. She has three calves of her own (two males, and a female) and two adopted calves (a male and a female). Moving Six animals for one cow rather than three wouldn’t be logical
forgot to mention, Phakamile and Emanti were taken in by Umgani
It would be wonderful if Reid park zoo would activate a cam immediately so that those of us who have been watching “our” beloved elephants could continue to see them. Is there any word on if and when this will happen? There was a web page for a cam, but it has been removed. I really miss sunzu. I have been watching him on the cam and visited him at the safari park since he was born. Some of us are quite attached to each of those removed from the herd.
RPZ has asked for a cam to be added as it wasn’t part of their initial budget when planning the new elephant exhibit.. They hope to have it up and running by early summer.
Thank you! I look forward to seeing our little family again!
Now that the transfer of ellies to Reid zoo is complete, hopefully they will adapt well to their new surroundings. I think the two who may be most affected by it all could be Emanti by losing Auntie Lungile and Sundzu who now has no playmates near his own age. But also not to forget the SDZ handlers and staff who also must be very saddened and/or have mixed emotions about their ellies who were moved. Best wishes for all.
RPZ now has updated their meet the animals- elephants section and there are pics of all of the herd.. love the one of Sundzu in the water.. check them out..
Those pictures are all from San Diego.
sorry Elizabeth I should have said RPZ on Facebook .. they have uploaded new pics of the herd today
Now RPZ has added the new photos of all the ellies to their website.
Thank you! Found them. Friended RPZ.
I will miss Litsemba and her calves, but will look forward to the ellie cam at RPZ. Thanks for all your do for these magnificent creatures!
oh, too bad, I was hoping that Musi would get to go and keep Lungile company. but I am glad Lungile has another female and family to socialize with. also the group at Reid Park Zoo have a lot of fresh grass to chomp on. I will miss watching Sundzu make up funny games. hope to eventually visit Reid PZoo and that they provide some kind of air conditioning for the ellies when it warms up.
RPZ’s elephant exhibit has a wading pool. large pool and the building is air conditioned for hot days and heated for the cold nights of winter for the ellies.
Good bless, Umngami. She is a Hero Mom. Raising three of her own and two adopted. What a wonderful elephant! And to boot, the most beautiful tusks!
I’m curious to know if Moyas passing had any effect on which elephants were chosen to move to RPZ.
I looked at all the pics of the herd and they all look happy in their new home. I was skeptical about this move and I have to admit that the enclosure at RPZ looks wonderful and the elephants look happy which, of course, is the most important part!
I had read on one of the pics of Mabu and Lungile at RPZ, that one of the tree trunks/branches that was in the exhibit that they had stripped most of it the first day or so they were there. It’s good to know they are settling in well and with the arrival of Samba and her calves they seem to be doing fine as a smaller herd.
If I remember correctly Samba and Lungile were the lowest two as to the hierachy of the SD herd. Now that it’s just the 2 of them at RPZ, will they each try to become the matriarch or keep their relative positions as they had in SD?
Samba has always been more dominant than Lungile, and we expect that will transfer to their new home, especially since Samba has two kids to watch over.
For anyone who has questions for RPZ like we get to ask here in the blogs and thank you for letting us do that and answering them SD.
RPZ on Facebook will reply to questions posted on pics of the ellies.
I was wondering about Musi, with his father having been a wild ellie, won’t his genes be important for diversity of the gene pool overall among the ellies in zoos once he reaches sexual maturity?
Moderator’s note: They will indeed! He is growing into a handsome young bull.
Is there an elephant FAQ page? I have not noticed one. I have children (Im a school nurse) who watch ‘their’ eleohants, and have asked questions, such as:
Why do elephants walk backwards?
Why do the small elephants lie down a lot, and the large ones do not?
How can we tell them apart?
Do they make noises?
Than you for any and all help.
Moderator’s note: Thank you for sharing our elephants with the children at your school! We do have an elephant fact sheet in our Animal Bytes section that may help. I think elephants walk backwards because they can, just like we sometimes do
Little ones lie down for naps, the adults don’t need naps as often. Yes, they make lots of wonderful sounds. You can hear one of them on the elephant fact sheet. And we have each elephant’s bio listed below the Elephant Cam, so you may be able to tell “who’s who.”
Speaking of which, thanks for keeping the profiles of the herd members in Arizona!
Lisa, also see http://blogarchives.sandiegozoo.org/blog/2008/10/06/sound-the-alarm/ for more info on the sounds elephants make (read it yourself first before deciding whether to show your children – it includes Khosi getting scared when she was very little).
ahhhh Thank you all
Sure do miss Sundzu and his funny little self but Nepo is a clown too. You can tell he is from the mud momma. He has a blast in the puddles all by himself.
A big thank you to the ellie team for updating the meet the elephant section and keeping those who have moved to RPZ as well as remembering Moya. It would seem everyone is thriving well with the new weights shown for the youngsters.
Do the adults tend to keep their weight about the same once they reached maturity?
Although adults can plateau when they reach a certain weight, it takes a while for them to reach these weights. The Safari Park’s adults still haven’t reached their maximum weights.
Just got to see a few pictures of Punga celebrating his birthday at.RPZ Facebook page and a video on all the elephants can be found at
http://www.youtube.com Meet Reid Park Zoo’s Five New Elephants. . good to hear Curtis and see the SD keepers are still there with them.. seems they are still adjusting to planes overhead..
Happy Birthday Impunga yesterday and Happy Birthday Ingadze tomorrow! Hope you two have a wonderful little elle day
)
Happy Birthday Ingadze.!
Was that Msholo in the main yard with the others around 8am SDZ time today, pushing the females with his trunk? Is this meant as an aggressiveness or was he just being playful? I don’t remember seeing Mabu do that.
Yes Maria that was Msholo, though Umngani and Musi seemed to have initiated the pushing.. was fun watching him in the pool afterwards with all the youngsters looking on
Does Umngani have a dislike of Msholo, she seems to be the one who hasn’t accepted him as much as the others?
Msholo seems to be trying his best to get others to play with him. The scene down by the pool was hilarious, because none of the kids wanted to go in that early in the morning yet were captivated by his frolicking. Then he had a tough time getting back out, because the pool level was so low he didn’t have buoyancy to help him out. Umngani and Swazi seem indignant for the most part, but every now and then they trunk wrestle with him.
With all the talk about breeding and why certain Ellies where moved it seems right the Musi was kept with Cammi and Khosi and there is no relationship of
gene’s/. Correct?
Moderator’s note: Vusmusi is not related to Khosi or Kami.
Although they’re not genetically related, would Vus’Musi and Khosi and Phakamile *behave* as though they share a genetic father since they’re growing up in the same herd and Ndlulamitsi is an auntie to the girls while Umngani is an auntie to the boy and Umoya was too…which would mean their anti-incest instincts would ward keep them apart and you’d need to use artificial insemination?
There are some species that do not mate with their offspring; elephants are not one of them. This will not be an issue with Vusmusi and the other young females.
Thanks Donna. I noticed a lot of “trunk battles” between him and Umngani.
Msholo was having fun in the water, acting like a calf and putting on a show for the kids.
You’re welcome Maria,
I have to wonder if the adult females having been with Mabu all this time and Msholo having been a subordinate male before coming to SD and afterwards when Mabu was still there, that perhaps they don’t find him suitable for mating or a full member of the herd yet. Perhaps it will just take some time for them to adjust to the fact he’s the only bull of breeding age available and allow him to become a more intergral part of the herd. The youngsters though seem to get along well with him when their mothers aren’t being overly protective of them.
Does that mean Msholo’s achieved the role of Uncle in the herd?
I keep seeing many Elephant Camera watchers posting about Msholo possibly being overly aggressive. I know the keepers have other duties and can not be watching the elephants at all times. Are the keepers informed about these observations?
I was wondering are there photos of the elephants when they first arrived at the park and where they could be found on the park’s website. I’d love to see how they have changed over the years.(sort of a then and now look)
Moderator’s note: That would be fun to see, but we don’t currently have photos of them from 2003 on our website.
If this is any consolation to the post above, Vus’Musi is about the size that the Park’s female elephants were upon arrival.
Cute scene today when a handler in the inner compound was being playful with Nee-Po through the fence, although the little ellie was a bit shy. Then amusing when Umngani quickly came over as if she expected a training session. Poor thing appeared very disappointed, remaining outside the enclosure for quite a while after the trainer had walked away.
I saw that! I love those interactions, those little baby flared ears are the cutest thing!
How are Connie and Shaba doing?
They are settling in, eating/sleeping well and working with the keepers. They like to hang out under the heaters at night and love to play with the big pellet toys we made for them.
I was looking at Reid Park Zoo’s facebook page and it occurred to me that possibly for Lungile and Litsemba, being separated from the San Diego Safari Park herd might have some advantages. Lungile had low status among the females and another commenter mentioned that Litsemba had a low dominance status as well. maybe having to compete less with other elephants would somehow improve their quality of life. and maybe increase Lungile’s chances of successfully mating again. but I do miss watching Lungile and Sundzu. I guess the SDZ Safari Park keepers probably miss them more, having had close contact but trying to think long term.
I had similar thoughts about Lungile’s potential rise in status at Reid Zoo. But at SD WAP she was always well recieved by her herdmates who even would make it a point to meet-greet her often… Along with somewhat special treatment and attention by her handlers. Seems that herd status in a WAP setting might not mean all that much as compared to being in the wild?
I think that the herd’s attitude toward her changed at least somewhat over the years and they grieved with her when she lost her baby. Auntie may be a subordinate position but respected.
The odds of becoming pregnant for females that only produce a single calf is a hit and miss scenario. Some just seem to be more fertile then others perhaps. It took Swazi some years to finally have a calf, Dula took a few more years to have Luti after having Musi. Lungile had a calf so unless there are unknown circumstances from the complications of that pregnancy no reason she shouldn’t have another one in the future. We all know Mabu has the capability to sire offspring.
Reid Park Zoo website and their Facebook page has a short video of Mabu mainly in the mud wallow for those who wish to view it. He sure looked like he was thoroughly enjoying it.
my reply to Steve, Elizabeth, Donna…
since the move has taken place I guess I was trying to rationalize potential benefits. but I agree with all that Lungile was well cared for by keepers. I have not watched the cam long enough to notice how the elephants cared for Lungile historically. I mainly observed her eating alone and seem to recall that if a more dominant female’s family came to feed near Lungile, she would typically pick up some hay and then move away. I have not noticed close interactions between any of the adult females. I remember once a young calf was on its own and seemed to want to take a nap but appeared restless. I was surprised it would nap without its mother nearby. but Lungile came running up and then the calf settled down.
found the mud wallow video. that looked like a lot of fun for all the adult ellies.
It’s great to see this exchange, such a well thought out process. it’s always a pleasure to watch how carefull these great animals are treated and maintained.
it seems so quiet now at the Safari Park… how are the ellies doing now that there are 5 gone???
Did Mabu have one big last parting gift for the Safari Park? Let’s explore the idea that Dula is pregnant. Umngani has proven that births can occur 30 months apart with a September 2006, a March 2009, and a September 2011 birth; almost exactly 30 months apart. Dula waited a long time between Moose and Looty, but just supposing we focus on 30 months from Looty’s birth which would be from February 2010 to August 2012. It could slip as much as 4 months and still be a birth in 2012. The thought occurred to me when the keepers were giving Dula some training exercises and one of the exercises was laying down on her side. I could be totally wrong, and maybe Msholo just prefers to hassle Umngani, but I have never seen him hassle Dula. Can he sense it would be a waste of time? It’s just fun to think that we could have another baby to replace the one sent to Reid Park. Any thoughts?
Very interesting and exciting idea that Dula may be pregnant. I suppose that the timeframe could be possible for a 2012 birth. However, if I’m not mistaken, I believe I had observed a recent training session where Umngani also laid down on her side. Whatever the case, I really hope your idea about Mabu’s parting gift turns out to be fact !
And, if there were to be a parting gift, we need a girl.
I base my thoughts on the fact that Msholo doesn’t hassle either Dula or Swazi, the February and April births in 2010, more than anything else. He really hassles Umngani who couldn’t possibly be pregnant yet and who would have to have a 2014 birth on the 30 month fact. I always felt that Swazi, the Queen, would avoid pregnancy at all costs. Can’t lose that Queenly figure! Guess the keepers could do a laying on the side with any elephant at any time, a position more likely to be needed at birth than at the time of inception! I know that little Looty was being given the laying on the side exercise at the same time as Dula. Maybe this was to teach him to rest when, and if. Mom gives birth.
Perhaps the training of laying on their side is needed for checking their undersides, doing ultrasounds for internal problems if any arise. etc.
Thanks for the note that elephants give birth standing up.
Yep, my thought is that little Sundzu is irreplaceable! Love that little guy and hope the keepers in AZ know that they all will always be special to some of us. They are the ones that received the gift, a most special and loved gift of five wonderful elephants.
For some reason, I am thinking elephants give birth while standing, as do giraffes, cows, etc. Given the size of an elephant, it seems handy to have them be on their side for numerous medical and dental reasons. Training would be very helpful in these cases. Maybe the experts will enlighten us.
Moderator’s note: Elephants give birth while standing.
Can you give us more information on the move of Litsemba, Impunga, and Sundzu?
Impunga was always my favorite. Thanks.
Reid Park has a great video of Mabu, Samba and the others in their new surroundings which look beautiful. Curtis is in the video and he seems to be very pleased with the way the ellies are doing. The airplane scene was funny.
LOL watching one of the ellies eating hay they have stuck on one of their tusks
I still can’t tell who is who though.
Yes, it’s interesting how the ellies often carry a spare snack of hay between trunk and tusk. Quite amusing when Umngani, with a wedge of hay tucked on her tusk while munching away on a large browse branch, then tries to stuff a trunkful of loose hay into her mouth as well. ….. ya just gotta love her.
I saw Umgani doing this for the first time the other day and was pretty impressed at her ingenuity! I never knew elephants did this — I learn so much from the cam and the blog.
Dula – Shortest uneven tusks -smallest edema -no tail hairs – Ndlula
Swazi – Equal tusks – largest edema – skimpy tail hairs
Umngani – Beautiful long tusks – no edema (baby girl first) – most tail hairs – tusks tell the tale.
Dula – mother of Moose and Looty
Swazi – mother of Mackembay
Umngani – mother of Khosi, Ingadze, and Neepo
Best way I can describe them. Good Luck!
Don may I add to your description of the ellies if you don’t mind..
Dula has a slight curved right tusk under her trunk and a short tusk on the left side, tail hairs seem to curve like a small half moon and has a small abdominal edema
Musi has no tail hairs, is as large as Dula, one short left tusk and right tusk is much longer.
Swazi , the tallest of the females has even tusks and split tail hairs and larger abdominal edema.
Umngani has the longest tusks, no abdominal edema.and full tail- spade shape(like the card).
Khosi has caps on her tusks
Ingazde slightly smaller in size to Khosi with small tusks
Neepo is the smallest of all of the youngsters
Kami about the same size as Khosi and shorter tusks.
Msholo has even tusks and long tail and only adult male
As to the 3 boys, Luti is slightly larger then eMacembe with Emanti being the smallest of those 3 and I still have to see them together or with their moms or sister in Emanti’s case to know for sure who’s who.
Thanks to both of you for your help. I printed your responses so I could have a “cheat sheet” on hand and it’s working!
Luti also has little tusks showing and a tuft of reddish hair on his head. And I think though he’s smaller, Gadzi’s tusks are a tad longer/bigger than Kami’s. Also – somewhat like their late mom, Moya – Kami and Emanti’s forheads are a bit wrinklier than the others.
Did Msholo get sent to the West yard today for a time out? He and Musi were trunk wrestling at the mud wallow earlier. Lots of activity at that wallow today with 3 youngsters in there at once (after Musi got out) until Swazi gently moved her large rear end in to push out everybody but Macembe. The pool is deeper now, so I wonder who will go in? Or maybe I missed the activity already.
Well, I knew about Mabu and Lungile going to Zona about a couple of weeks ago, and now I learned from reading this newest update that Litsemba, Punga, and Sundzu were also sent to Zona. WOW!!! That was a hefty move for you all to do with these ellies! I do hope that they will all enjoy their new home, and the people of Tuscon will love seeing them there. Of course, we will all miss seeing them on the SDZ elliecam, tho! I’m also happy that you were able to acquire Connie and Shaba from Reid Park to bring to the EO at SDZ. Great replacements for Tina and Jewell who are now in LA, Cal. BTW, how old are Connie and Shaba, and what kind of bios do you have about them? Love to hear about these 2 ellies when you get a chance to write an article about them.
What’s the latest on any momma ellies being pregnant? Hope to see more baby calves on the elliecam soon!
Gonna go for now!
Chari Mercier
St. Pete, FL
Moderator’s note: Connie is 45 years old and Shaba is 32.
Had such a great day at the park yesterday! Watched Neepo get stuck trying to climb over a log. He never gave up or called for help and they all stood around pretending to ignore him. He FINALLY got his back feet over and all of us watching broke into applause. He immediately stepped over the next log and did it all again (much more quickly)!
Moderator’s note: Cute story, Karen. Thanks for sharing!
I think I was watching around that time (late afternoon on 3.21). I was wondering if Neepo was stuck or if he was just enjoying scratching his tummy on the log. glad to hear he was able to get himself out of the jam.
of the remaining herd at SDSP I guess that Luti is my favorite now. for one, he is very easy to recognize. his rotundness cracks me up, particularly when he lays down for a nap (and then decides to take a snack while still lying down). also the closeness of Luti and Musi to Ndula is pretty endearing.
Neepo is hilarious as well, how feisty he is for his small size. it will be fun to see how he likes the pool when it gets warmer. then he will be able to mount the larger calves more easily. Khosi always surprises me how protective she is of Neepo. she seems to be getting bigger so quickly.
I’m sorta of a newbie watching the elephants. What are the keepers tossing to the ellies out of the buckets? And why do you all separate the ellies at different times of the day? I saw a little snap of training the other day, do you all do that daily or what? Would be nice to see more training. Thank you. L
Moderator’s note: Welcome, Lee. Our elephants are offered herbivore pellets daily. And yes, they are separated for their training sessions, which they seem to enjoy.
Yes, the training sessions are a joy and amusing to watch. Recently I saw a stint with Khosi who appeared to anticipate & repeat commands on her own just to get more treats. Trainers seemed to be chuckling about it too.
I have seen the pellets used for sorting and moving and arranging the ellies also. When there were 17 and they needed to be moved for cleaning the yard, they had to be kept from all rushing the gate at once, so families were drawn to the keepers at the edge with a large amount of space in between. It appeared that it was necessary to first isolate a bull, then filter the groups through, and then the order of transfer may have been based on hierarchy with Swazi last (or maybe that was just what my feeble mind was putting together). If somebody needs to be separated, the ‘cookies’ can hold some while the maneuver with the separate one takes place. They all (the adults, at least) seem to respond to their names, so they can be sorted according to whatever the plan for handling requires. What I find surprising and encouraging is that when the keepers emerge with their buckets, they are not met with the whole mob of ellies crowding a single keeper! If a specific ellie is the target, there doesn’t seem to be a fight for that spot. Maybe it is beautiful planning by the keepers to be able to successfully move and manage tons of brute strength, as well as a tribute to the mind of the elephant. I am really impressed with the way these African elephants are handled and managed. When I was involved with ellies (lots of years ago), Africans were seen as dangerous and unpredictable, and therefore poor subjects for any management in captivity. It is obvious that some major changes have been made in understanding and management. It is good to see such success. And it is wonderful to have the opportunity to watch them on camera! Thanks! (If my impressions need to be corrected, please do that!)
re: “What I find surprising and encouraging is that when the keepers emerge with their buckets, they are not met with the whole mob of ellies crowding a single keeper! ”
>>that’s a good point. I was wondering how that was managed. it seems like the ellies know a certain keeper is assigned to a family or individual but I wonder if they ellies know their keeper by sight or by sound (a certain whistle pitch) or just by response (the right keeper will feed them treats).
In response to a March 5th posting – the male bulls were, and now is separated from the rest of the herd before the keepers leave for the day.
Wonderful watching this morning. All the children were in a pack playing with each other. The moms had to follow them to keep a eye on the activities. Little Neepo was nursing and got frisky and started standing on his back feet bashing his head into the side of mom. She wobbled a few times too. Thank you so much for the cam and volunteers that keep up with it.
This is so great! Time for me to hit the sheets and Umngani and all the kids are in the pool having a blast! It’s raining to boot. Oh what fun!
I saw that too, Michelle — it really brought a smile to my face!
I saw on the list of elephant descriptions that while Luti and Macembe are pretty similar in weight, Emanti appears to weigh significantly less than Macembe. is this due to his not being able to nurse from his mom? would that be a cause of concern towards his long-term development?
Elephant Team responds: Macembe was born a month earlier and was our largest calf at birth, so he had a huge head start weight-wise over Emanti. When Emanti was born, it took nearly two weeks before we started seeing an increase in his weight gain. So, Emanti has always been “smaller” than the others.
Swimming in the rain! It looks like Umngani and all her little charges in the pool. At one point there seemed to be seven or eight in there. Umngani was splashing and having a wonderful time.
OK, Neepo can swim. Ta-da (of course)! It is 6:10 and 52* on Sunday, and I just watched over 45 min of big time pond frolic starring Umngani and 3 youngsters (eventually all 4) playing and submerging and splashing around, and every time Umngani rose up and strode to another part of the pond, there was this little grey underwater shadow with a mini periscope right smack behind her! I wonder if he got some speed from drafting. Mom and the punk got out, the party got even rougher, the 4th youngster arrived, lots of splashing stuff, then Umngani and Neepo went back in for another dose! I don’t know if the onset of rain got them out or if the play was just over. They all just had a grand old time! I hope somebody else enjoyed the show also!
Pat: Sounds like quite a few of us got to see the pool playtime — that’s my favorite elephant activity to watch. Makes me laugh every time I see them in there…
Missed the pool play action on Sunday but caught a great scene today. Training session with Khosi outside of inner yard while another handler was petting and playing with NeePo throught the fence . Trainer would jump up and down and NeePo would imitate him by leaping up off his front legs. So cute !!!
I felt lucky to catch the swimming party too. I lost sight of Neepo quite a few times and was surprised he could keep up with Umngani. she seemed to stop and lay down in the deeper parts. this was the first time I’ve seen Neepo in the pool like that and Umngani was so relaxed about him. I enjoyed watching one of the calves happily smack the water with his or her trunk repeatedly. they all just look like they’re having so much fun while bathing even with the rain.
i see that Neepo loves to play in the logs!!! So Sweet!
Was just watching Dula eating and then walking — had a view of her from the rear — and I couldn’t help thinking that she looks as if she could be pregnant. Could have just been the angle I was viewing her from, but do we know if she’s expecting a calf?
Moderator’s note: We don’t have any elephant pregnancies to announce at this time.
You might like to read my comment from March 18. Dula is getting special treatment and Moose and Looty are being kept with her.
Very interesting and insightful, Don. I hope you are right…
Time will tell, of course!
All 3 were again held in the original Mabu field when the others went to the original Msholo field at 8 a.m. today. Gives me a chance to get some very good closeups of Dula’s short tusks, both Moose’s beautiful and his broken tusk, and Looty, the Valentine’s Day baby, now over 2 years old.
I’m beginning to be sorry for making the comment. They are now putting Dula in with all the others which means Msholo has a chance to hassle her because he is kept with the herd.
That is so funny you thought that. Last night I saw Dula from behind and she did have that really crooked fat belly look. I was going to ask the same question you did.
Count me as another one who was wondering today if Dula is pregnant. I was just looking at her and Umnganoi eating side by side and Dula’s belly definitely looks lower and heavier. Hopefully there is another bundle of ellie joy on the way.
Michelle and Marie: Thank you both for sharing your thoughts on Dula. Now I don’t feel as if I am the only one (well, other than Don!) who suspects a pregnancy. But only time will tell — however, we are always eager for another little ellie to delight us, that’s for sure
Meanwhile, little Nipho certainly gives us a lot of smile time, doesn’t he? 
NeePo is my fave! He is just a joy to watch. He is quite brave and right in there playing with his brother and half-brothers.
Is it common for Asian and African elephants to be put together and to get along so well?
San Diego Zoo Global responds: It was common in the past. Today, we work collaboratively with the Association of Zoos and Aquariums to manage species such as elephants to create a sustainable ark of species for the future. We try to manage species in normal social groupings. In the case of elephants, groupings of same species rather than cross species are preferred. Shaba, an African elephant, who recently arrived from Arizona with Asian elephant Connie, live together at the San Diego Zoo, as does African elephant Tembo, who has lived with Asian elephants in San Diego for many years. Although these elephants are doing well in their current social groups, we hope to introduce the two African elephants in the future to provide them an opportunity to interact with the same species.
Yesterday I was watching Neepo as usual playing among the logs. Was quite obvious from the cam closeups of his rear end, that he has put on a few pounds. I then saw that his listed profile weight had been updated from the previous 520 lbs to 555 lbs. Hmmm.. A few laps in the pool might be in order.
hahaha. I was thinking that an appropriate nickname for Neepo could be Notorious S.M.A.L.L. due to his aggressive play with the larger calves. but I guess if he keeps up his growth spurt, he could be Notorious B.I.G. (at least in a few years).
Baby elephants gain about 50 pounds per month. Neepo weighed 250 pounds at birth and at 6 months he will have more than doubled his weight. If it is now 550 pounds, that would be what has been happening to all the babies that have been born at the park, starting with Moose!
I was just watching 2 ellies, one is Msholo, having a blast in the mud wallow. Who is the other ellie? It is Moose? I took some screen caps.
http://i43.tinypic.com/2pq8d4w.jpg
http://i44.tinypic.com/25pntxh.jpg
http://i41.tinypic.com/2dtubn7.jpg
http://i40.tinypic.com/as7rp.jpg
the large ellie looks like Musi (he only appears to have a right tusk now since he broke the other one off in bits). I’m not sure which calf is with him but I’d guess Luti, his brother. Luti is really cute b/c he is quite chubby and round. Musi is frequently in the vicinity of Luti and mom, Ndula.
I think the big one is actually Musi (close look + longer tusk on right, hardly anything visible on left), so the smaller could very well be little brother Luti. They sure had a party! The waller is a hit!
Thanks. Unless I see the boys next to their moms, I have trouble identifying them (except NeePo!) I didn’t think Musi was that big, but if I saw him next to Msholo, I’m sure I’d see the difference.
I saw a fun filled hilarious romp in the pool yesterday by Msholo, Swazi, and Macembe, along with two other calves for a while initially. Since the other ellies were looking on but dared not to enter the water, it seems as if the herd hierarchy gets first dibs. So I guess it really is good to be King, Queen, and Prince.
Still hoping that an app will be created so I van watch on the iPad. Meantime, for any of you interested, there is a San Diego zoo app and it is great watching that little condor chick and the polars, apes, and pandas. Love that baby condor! Hope the app for the elephants comes soon because I really miss watching since I changed to iPad.
Moderator’s note: The Park’s app will debut in May for our 40th birthday!
AWESOME!
Hmmmmm.. a SAP app for ellie cam ???!!! That alone could be enough incentive for me to finally get an iPad !
I saw this article on Critter Talk and thought I would share it, perhaps it will benefit elephants like Musi when it comes time for him to be separated from Dula.
http://www.naplesnews(dot)com/news/2012/apr/06/elephant-sanctuary-coming-florida/
That’s really good news for young male elephants. Thanks.
Try this link instead:
www (dot) naplesnews.com/news/2012/apr/06/elephant-sanctuary-coming-florida/
What was the cause of all the agitated activity a little after 9 AM Mon? The camera was on the pond/gate and all of a sudden the whole group ran into the area. Their attention seemed to be on something in the West yard. It got a little hairy. Swazi even knocked Po over and Umgani and Khosi were there immediately to extract him. It went on for several minutes, but the camera didn’t swing over so that we could see the source of their major concern.
Msholo and Moose seem to be interacting alot, is there a “dominance” thing going on?
For those of you who love elephants I would recommend buying from Amazon
the dvd Echo and other elephants starring David Attenborough and Cythia Moss.
Its a very good documentary on elephants.
This morning the gates were open between the yards, although surprisingly to me, it was Umngani who seemed to be the most tentative at first to wander into the west yard. It appeared that she lingered in the gateway to let the others in the extended family lead the way, just in case any keepers were watching.
it seems so quiet these days in the elephant encounter! Would it have anything to do with the other ellies move to AZ?
The ellies particularly Umngani seemed agitated and alarmed for sometime this morning starting from 7:30 pst time, running between yards and taking defensive positions. Was something upsetting them?
Elephant Team responds: We had a long meeting this morning, so she was probably wondering when her breakfast was going to show up!
That is too funny! They do get very fussy when it comes to food.
As the self-appointed Matriarch of the Elephant Team staff, Umngani has always been a very strict task mistress . She has zero-tolerance for even the slightest of delays, and will readily read them the riot act if meals are not served exactly on schedule.
Is the Park bringing back the Elephant Rush this Summer?
Moderator’s note: No, but we’ll continue to offer our Elephant Keeper Talk at 11 a.m.
Did your long meeting have anything to do with pending introductions of the ladies from AZ?
Moderator’s note: It gets confusing, but Connie and Shaba, the two elephants from Arizona, are now at the Zoo; Umngani and her herd are at the Safari Park.
How does the camera coverage work? Is there one person with remote access and all screens available? Are there times when the cameras are just ‘fixed’ while the operator is elsewhere? I notice that the ellie camera view in ‘neutral’ or at night is set to include a lot of the trees on the left of the pic, and cuts off part of the pond on the right of the pic. The camera has been pretty still for a while, and there was just a gang frolic in the pond with much of it outside the frame of the camera. Would it be possible to include the whole pond in the ‘resting’ position of the camera, just in case there is activity after the camera person is gone home or is needed elsewhere? This morning we could see the entire pond. It was great. Too bad the ellies were in the other yard!
Moderator’s note: There is one camera for Elephant Cam and it is manned during the day by wonderful volunteers. There is a default position for the camera during off hours.
Gotcha! Thanks! And yes, they do a great job. It must be fun.
Okay, now this is just perfectly AWESOME!! Today I discovered the APP and the quality is great. I was so happy to install it and then see the elephants frolicking in the pool, hilarious! You have made my day, my iPad is now connected to watch the cam. Also, love it that the distracting advertising is not on it and it fills the entire screen with elephants in action. Amazing that you are providing this to us, and it makes our membership all the more joyful. We live three hours away, so when we can’t be ther, we can watch. One happy zoo member here! Thank you thank you thank you!
Moderator’s note: You’re very welcome, Pat! I’ve passed along your comments to our team. For others interested in the Safari Park’s new APP, visit http://www.sdzsafaripark.org/40/app.html
Camera coverage: There was just some really nice manned camera coverage of after hours sloshing and pushing and chasing and milling and wrestling activities. We got to continue to watch it when the camera became ‘un-manned’. Delightful to see! What a treat! Thanks!
Pat: I saw that too and was also delighted. It seems that around 5 the cam usually gets set to a position where you can’t really see what’s going on up close, so last night’s up-close “after hours” action was GREAT!
Thanks to whoever was manning the cam! 
Are all ellie babies born breech? I just watched a video, and I knew that mom remained upright, but I was surprised that the baby came breech. Of course it makes a whole lot more sense for baby to be dropped on his butt than his head, but is that normal? Those attending did not seem concerned. It was amazing to see.
Elephant Team responds: We weren’t able to see all of the births here at the Safari Park, but of the ones we did, they were rear-legs first.
Emanti has always been somewhat ligher in weight than say Luti or Emacembe who are close to him in age. Is this due to not being able to nurse with Moya’s passing and therefore not getting the extra nutrients he probably would have otherwise?
Elephant Team responds: Macembe was born a month earlier and was our largest calf at birth, so he had a huge head start weight-wise over Emanti. When Emanti was born, it took nearly two weeks before we started seeing an increase in his weight gain. So, Emanti has always been “smaller” than others.
Happy Birthday Emanti!
Happy Birthday Emanti
A very Happy Birthday to Emanti, hopefully the keepers spoiled him a little on his special day
HUGE thanks to whoever was manning the cam after 6:30 tonight. I came in after dinner to check on the ellies, and there there were — up close cavorting in the pool. They are so much fun to watch when they play in the water, and I saw them earlier only from a distance and couldn’t tell who was who. But with the close ups I could see who was in there, and it was really a delight to watch them. Thanks again!
What an AWESOME pool night tonight! All the elle’s were in the water. They sure are more together now since the hurd has been divided. Does that normally change in a hurd when there is a loss of members? Also, is Swazi still the lady in charge? She seems alot calmer than she use to be. She is letting her calf play with everyone now.
Moderator’s note: Yes, Swazi is still the herd’s matriarch.
thank goodness for the warmer weather and the treat of watching the youngsters in the pool. the other day I caught Neepo in the water (without Umngani) wanting to play with the other calves, who were kind of rough-housing. but a couple other calves (I think maybe Kami and Emanti) were kind of watching Neepo to make sure he didn’t get dunked too much. it’s surprising how protective elephants can be (even towards non-family).
later while the elephants were dust-bathing, Neepo seemed to run up and contemplate climbing on top of Musi, who was lying on his belly. I was wondering how Musi would tolerate that. but then Neepo seemed to think otherwise and walked away to play with Khosi. this must mean Neepo knows his hierarchy b/c rather than Musi, I think it was Ndula lying down.
Where are the ellies at night? Do they mostly go to the holding pen end of the east yard? Are they put in the holding pens? Are the gates to the holding areas left open? Are they separated at all?
Elephant Team responds: Our elephants stay outside to roam around, eat, and sleep under the stars. However, we do get some chilly nights, and during those nights the elephants have access to the heated barns but are not kept in; they can choose to be outside or inside.
It’s 7:51pm PDT and one little guy is all alone near the pool while all the others are on the hill by to rock structure. Lately I have noticed one little one very much alone. Would that be Emanti. Is Emanti mixing well and accepted well by the others?
Elephant Team responds: Emanti likes to hang out with Msholo when he’s not hanging around big sister or Umngani’s clan. Msholo tolerates him much more than any of the moms do, so we think Emanti uses him for security.
Cool! That’s adorable.
I’ve noticed Moose and Khosi interacting with each other a lot lately. Are they mature enough now to mate?
Elephant Team responds: We are keeping a close eye on Musi, Khosi, and Kami. Females in the wild have given birth as young as 8 years old, so we are starting to collect urine samples from the girls to find out when they may start cycling.
Thank you so much for the response. I was surprised to see this interaction with Musi and Khosi — just didn’t dawn on me that they are reaching sexual maturity. I’ll be anxious to hear what you find out about the girls!
I know that for humans it’s not safe to give birth as early as possible, because of things such as obstetric fistula. How dangerous is it for elephants to give birth as early as possible? Since you;’re keeping track, you’ll make sure Khosi and Phakamile get to take a break from the guys when they turn fertile so that they don’t give birth as early as possible, right?
During the past Fall and Winter months I have occasionally seen ellies walking in the dry pool bed in the far yard. Although now that it has been filled with water, I have not yet seen them using it on cam. Do they have access to this pool for swimming? Thank you.
Moderator’s note: They do, but it may still be a bit brisk for them this time of year.
I noticed Musi and Msholo get into somewhat of a pushing match the other day. Since Musi seems to be showing interest in the Khosi of late, could this behaviour with Msholo also be related to his becoming more mature and perhaps sexually active in the near future?
Is Emanti a little timid fellow? I see him standing by the pool while all the others play together and he doesn’t seem to join in.
Kat from the Ranchipur site stated her sister visited Safari Park recently and was told by a keeper that one of the elies is pregnant and due in August. Mabu (i really miss him) is the dad. Is this true?
Moderator’s note: Breeding was observed, and it is possible that we have a female that may be due to give birth later this year.
Which elephant may give birth later in the year?
Just curious why you say “possible” ? Why the big secret? The keeper told my sister and all the other visitors the female was pregnant by Mabu and due in August. My sister couldn’t remember the name of the elephant.
Is it a secret until you are positive?
Perhaps with a few months to go, the park may be hesitant to say in case (God forbid) something unfortunate happens before due date.
That having been said, I’m thinking it’s either Dula or Swazi that could be expecting in August. Since Umngani would have just delivered Neepo at the end of September and ellie pregnancies take 22 months usually.
When I was there on Saturday, I was told that Swazi is expecting in August. We will see! : )
Pat.. she was my first choice as to who is expecting after observing her on the cam.. she’s looks to have a baby bump even with her being so tall. Let’s hope so it’s time she had another after waiting so long to conceive Emacembe..
Can the keepers give us an update on how the new AZ herd is doing?
They posted a neat video of them in the pond after it had been filled for the first time (5/2) They are having fun and look great!
http://www.tucsonzoo.org/wp-content/uploads/2012/05/IMG_65131.mov
Moderator’s note: Thanks for sharing this, Pat C!
Pat: Thank you posting this video — how fun to see our former Safari Park ellies at play in the water over in Tucson!!!
Michelle, see my post below with the video link. (It was supposed to be a reply to you, but I messed up.)
Kami seems to be increasingly participating in some of the babysitting duties for Neepo. It was fun to see Po in the water with Kami, Khosi, and (presumably) Ingadze, while Umngani remained out of the picture. K & K as a team pushed Po back to shallower water at the steps several times. He of course ignored their ‘help’ and continued to launch into the activity. They were very careful with him and his ‘big ellie’ antics! I saw Kami with him another day, and she was allowing him only to lightly dabble at the edge of the pond while there was pretty heavy activity in the middle. Khosi was not visible, so it seems that Kami has gained a level of trust in the ‘auntie’ category. Watching the social interaction is fascinating. Does this match behavior the keepers are seeing, or is it my imagination?
Although Kami has often baby sat for NeePo, many times she was/is nudged away by Umngani. But yes, it appears that Kami’s interaction with him has recently increased, maybe as a consequence of Po being allowed more freedom to roam away from Mom’s interference. Even Khosi now seems to be more comfortable whenever he is under Kami’s doting supervision.
I saw the same thing and was amazed! Kami and Khosi were on each side of Neepo and guiding him to shore. They really seemed to know exactly that he was safer there, or maybe I am crazy???
Do the African elephants ‘chirp’ at each other the way the Asians do? I can only imagine the communication sounds from Umngani in an effort to keep all those kids in control!
We’ve never heard any of our African’s “chirp” anything remotely like the Asian elephants. Our African elephants make mostly low grumbles, loud grumbles, and loud roars.
When Umoya died last year, it was noted that the aunts were taking care of the two little orphans. The park just mentioned in an earlier post that it is Msholo that tolerates him more than the older ladies. What caused the changed? The poor little fellow always seems to be by himself.
It kind of bothered me last evening when there was some disturbance that caused mild alarm. As all the ellies all moved toward the holding pen end of the yard, Emanti tried to go with them, and Umngani chased him away. I didn’t see the dynamics after that, but I felt so sorry for him. Kami seems to be accepted, but that doesn’t seem to include her brother, so he apparently doesn’t have anyone consistent to go to for safety, including his sister. Is that what is happening? Is it likely that Kami can help him be accepted? Is it likely that she will try? Does she break out of the group to help him at all? Does anyone know if there is a ‘traditional’ reason for this dynamic or what might be the possible resolution(s)? Is there something different going on behind the scenes that we don’t see?
OK, I am now (morning) watching all the kids together at the pen end of the yard, and all three moms are in attendance, so there are obviously times when everybody is together. The first grouping in the camera was the 4 younger boys just wandering, so Emanti is actually included in the group. It seems, then, that his lower level of participation in the wrestling may be his choice. Is he possibly just a lower energy ellie? He does have a buddy in Musi, so maybe he will have an ‘in’ with Ndula also.
I saw the same action toward Emanti as Pat C and Erin saw. We want to make sense of it, but they are wild animals and perhaps in the wild a mother elephant does well to take care of her own and so that evolves as a behavior? It would be great if the pros could enlighten us about what we are seeing and how Emanti can be helped. As humans, it saddens us to see what Emanti is experiencing when he is shoved away by others large and small. It does matter to us that he come through the loss of his mother successfully. In nature, life is hard! (by the way, I spent hours there on Saturday before this happened. All was calm, and yes, Emanti was on his own a lot, but not one incident toward him happened during those hours. He has no mother to run to, the others do. Maybe he is having to grow up just faster than the others?)
We visited the park today and wish to thank Wendy for answering our elephant questions and sharing observations with us. We had a most enjoyable day!
Last night the elephants were in the pool having a good time and then something charged them up and they all got out and ran to and fro and back again. Little Emanti joined in at the fro and back again, but when they stopped Umngani swung at Emanti and then swung at him again. Why do the older females not want that poor llittle fellow around? He must be a sad little elephant when no one wants you around and he doesn’t seem to join into elephant games. Why is this?
Last night I was reading some of the posts about the Aunties and how Misholo appears to be tolerating him more than the Aunts do.
I’d just like to share some special times that my family and I have observed Umgani express towards her newest “son”.
Our family thinks of Umgani as “Saint Umgani”. From what we’ve seen she has been such a wonderful and caring Aunt to Emanti and Kami. And to take them in as her own has been so beautiful.
A few days ago we watched an especially tender moment between Umgani and Emanti during their morning “greetings” at 6 am S.D. time.
Emanti was backing into Umgani and she was placing her chin on his back and wrapping her trunk around his belly and rubbing him and then rubbing his back. Umgani did this for a good ten minutes while Emanti continued to lean in closer. At first, we were trying to figure out if this was Ingadze with Umgani. But, we saw that Ingadze was busy with Khosi, Kami and Neepo. Meanwhile, Luti was with Ndula and Musi and Macambe was with Swazi. So, the only one it could be was Emanti. My family and I were all very moved by this scene. To see Umgani taking on the role of Umoya’s and giving love and attention to this sweet little boy who is still grieving for his Mommy was so touching.
Another time we saw Umgani paying extra attention to Emanti was during one of the night time dips in the pool. Neepo, Khosi, Kami, Ingadze and Umgani were all playing in the water and Emanti came running close to the edge, next to the log/stump but, didn’t go in. Umgani spotted him and came out, got down on her knees in front of the stump, laid her chin on it and flapped her nose towards Emanti. We saw Emanti’s ears flapping as if he was listening to some “words” from Umgani. Soon Umgani got up, headed back into the water and turned towards Emanti. With that, Emanti entered the pool and with the escort of Neepo by his side. They all began to play together for quite awhile.
Sadly, we still see Emanti have his moments of solitude (perhaps looking for Umoya) or grieving by himself. When we see that it does break our hearts. But, happily we’ve seen an increase in more times of fun, playing and interaction between Emanti, Kami and their new family.
We’re by no means claiming to be elephant behavior specialists but, these moments seem to speak for themselves with lots of love.
We truly feel that Umgani is a “Super Mom/Aunt” and Ingadze, Khosi and wee little Neepo have been AWESOME with accepting and welcoming Kami and Emanti. They all have such big hearts and it we will continue to enjoy every moment of watching this beautiful family and know that Kami and Emanti are safe and happy!
These are truly the most amazing and interesting creatures. We are very fortunate to be able to witness them through this cam. We all see different moments and actions. It is interesting that we strive to put human emotion to animal behavior. I wonder what each elephant is really thinking, if they think rather than simply react. They certainly seem very intelligent and the family bonds are fascinating!
Thank you for posting your observations. We can’t all see everything all the time, so becoming aware of what others see can be enlightening and even reassuring. I think we can all pretty much agree that Umngani is a ‘super ellie’ and is generous with her leadership for the kids. We don’t know what communication goes on in the ellie world, so we can’t really know what happened ‘before what happened happened’. We can definitely take heart in the fact that she has done a beautiful job with Khosi!
I just wanted to thank you, Pat and Pat C, for your lovely responses to my post of what we’ve witnessed with “Super Ellie” Umgani’s family.
I agree with you both that they are all so amazing, intelligent and their family bonds are fascinating to watch. It is indeed truly a privilege to be able to watch them! A big thank you to all the staff who make that possible!
My family and I love to read everyone’s posts on this page! We always enjoy hearing everyone’s thoughts and sometimes we even get updates on events we missed, too!
It’s wonderful to be posting along with and being part of a community of “elephant lovers”!
Thank you, Pat & Pat C! A goodnight to everyone!
7:28 pm, Umgani and 3 little ons were in the center of the large yard. NePoo was way down by the rock structure. Suddenly Umgani took of after one young one who as doing nothing and used her tusks to send him hustling toward the rock structure. She was rough, and perhaps should be watched? Maybe there are just too many calves for her to tolerate?
Last night at about 7:15, Umgani suddenly turned on Kami, chased her with her tusks. Kami went down, I think on purpose, and rolled to her side with feet in the air, much like a display of submission. Umgani stopped at that point, kami got up, and then was chased again, off the viewing screen, so I don’t know what happened from there. Again, it was rough. Like others, I have witnessed Umgani be very accepting of Kami. My hope is that Kami and Emanti don’t ultimately get injured.
Size in perspective, Msholo is in the morning sun, a resident deer and her two fawn are not far from him. Beautiful!
We’ve been sad and concerned about Emanti, too, lately. Noticing more and more the moms pushing him away and both Sat and Sun Memorial Day Weekend there were long late day pool parties with all the other 6 ‘kids’ in the pool frolicing – with and/or without adults – except Emanti, dry, out by himself. we remember how the 3 2-year-olds used to always ‘get into it’ when they were smaller. just weird him being pushed/left out now, and/or just not feeling safe/comfortable joining in. Don’t even see Kami standing up for him. Bullying in the elephant world?
It was somewhat of a relief to hear from Ali that the little guy is still getting some motherly love and attention. A good reminder that we’re not seeing everything. Hopefully the other stuff is a temporary phase – He’s still just a babe, hate to see him alone and missing out on the summer fun!
Can we please get a blog regarding Emanti? There seems to be a huge silence since Umoya’s death. There have been many observatons and questions, with very few answers.
Moderator’s note: We’re working on one. Thanks for your patience.
do you hae any time line as to when the update on everyone especially Emanti will be posted .. thanks
Moderator’s note: It’s been put off for a bit, but not forgotten.
Are Dula and Swazi’s youngest calves about the same age?
Moderator’s note: Yes, Luti and Macembe are just two months apart in age.
Many thanks to the cam operator….today I am having a great time watching Msholo in the pool, playing with Musi who is standing on the shore! Great view of these two guys enjoying one another’s company.
Just absolutely loved watching the big “M” and the biggest “M” playing in the pool. Msholo is the sweetest guy. He really has alot in him to get along with all the “kids”. He was facing off with Moose and would go backward and fall into the water and roll on his side. It looked like Moose just did him in. So much fun seeing them play together. Thank you!
Musi is really being aggresive with the girls, Khosi and Kami. Earlier I watched him mount poor little Khosi who just couldn’t get away from him. He could really hurt her, being so much bigger. Just now I watched him push Kami down to the ground. When she got up and ran away, he chased after her. I wonder why the adults don’t intervene to help these poor little girls.
Also I have an opinion on the the “aunties” who were supposed to help the orphans when their mother died. I actually never saw any of the aunties do any of that. What I did see was that Khosi lovingly befriended Kami and Emanti which is the reason that they joined up with Umngani. Umngani was already overwhelmed with her new baby and responsibilities at the time.
Khosi is the most amazing little girl. She is her mother’s best friend and constant helper. It’s obvious that Umngani and Khosi love each other very much, spending so much time together and regularly touching each other. Khosi is the daughter that any mother would be proud to have.
The most amazing thing that I saw, shortly after Umoya died, was Khosi rubbing her trunk all over Kami’s head and back, as if to say, “I understand how sad you are and I will be your friend forever.”
As with some of the other bloggers, I would love to see an update about poor little Emanti who does seem to be left out now, even by his own sister.
Thanks to all the team that cares for these wonderful elephants, for the cams and the camera operators.
Poppy, I saw the same incident you saw when Kami was down and chased, but I thought it was Umgani after her, i am sure I saw two long tusks. Whatever, I hope Kami and Emanti grow up to be wonderful adult elephants, along with the rest of the herd.
Pat, Maybe it was Umngani and I just assumed it was Musi because of the earlier incident with Khosi. It sure doesn’t make sense though. We can’t know what each elephant is thinking or the reasons for some of their behaviors. They are such incredibly complex animals, so intelligent and sensitive. I love being able to watch them and to read the blogs to learn more about them.
Great show of Msholo and Musi in the pool today! Thanks cam operator! There was even a brief close up of the inside if the tip of Msholos trunk! Also saw Emanti having a good time, which was great!
Is anyone else involved in managing/caring for a breeding herd of African elephants, or is Wild Animal Park a pioneer in this kind of project? Are there research observations that are available for behavioral observations and questions, or is WAP breaking ground in that area?
San Diego Zoo Global works collaboratively with other AZA institutions for the management and care of breeding and non-breeding elephants, both African and Asian species. We have our own science program to study such things as mother and calf relationships, calf development, communication, nutrition, and more at the Safari Park. In Africa, we also work with other conservation organizations to study wild elephant populations. We are gaining new insights into elephant biology with these programs.
Do the elephants have any enrichment toys to play with? I see food hidden in drums and round balls, but is there something that they could play with?
Enrichment items vary on a regular basis to keep them mentally and physically stimulated, from the drums and balls that you see to floating food discs and mud holes.
I don’t get on the Ele Cam as much as I’d like to, but I do so love watching them, althought since the move of some Ellies to AZ, it doesn’t seem the Ellies that are left are getting as much ‘air’ time as they did before?? Is it cut backs at the Zoo? or are there just certain times that there is an operator on the cam? it would be great to know as that’s when i would tune in!
and thanks to the keepers for keeping these fine Elephants so happy!
Moderator’s note: Our Elephant Cam coverage has not changed. You should be able to view an elephant or two or more throughout the day
Do elephants smile? Umgani sure appears to be smiling with the fresh green hay that she was just given. : ). Also, once when we were at the Park one of the boys picked up a branch of fresh leaves and ran with it so he could have it for himself, and he sure appeared to be smiling with joy! What do you think, do they smile?
Moderator’s note: I think they do. And why not?
Question for the moderator or the elephant team. Since it looks like elephants smile, does the safari park think that they know their names?
It looks like at treat time there might be the use of whistles to get things sorted out, but what about their names?
I sometimes think dogs respond to their names because of the inflection in your voice, but since elephants are one mighty intelligent creature it would be nice to know if the experts think they know their names or not.
Moderator’s note: The elephants do respond to their names.
When is the name of the expecting mother going to be announced? Also, does a mother nurse 2 calfs or will the older one be going through the weaning process before the birth of its sibling? Thank you.
Elephant Team responds: The expectant mother is Swazi. A nursing calf is weaned once the newest calf is born.
YAY for Swazi and the Park. Another little bundle of ellie joy on the way and a baby for NeePo to play with. I think it’s time for a little girl!
new video from the Reid Park Zoo of the boys playing in the water with daddy Mabu. Punga and Sundzu were having a blast.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GUxh-zD_Xwg
Moderator’s note: What fun! Thanks for sharing this link, Teresa.
Lungile was in there too though the video ony showed her twice very briefly.. Good to see her not off on her own like before
Beautiful! Thanks. I still marvel at how playful and tolerant and gentle Mabu is.
I happened to catch what appeared to be an ellie ‘blooper’ committed on cam by Umngani yesterday. While slinging dirt from the pile with several calves playing at her feet, suddenly for whatever reason, she errantly tossed dirt right into her own face and eye. Looking momentarily stunned, she shook her head and then slowly slinked away. Amusing, but hopefully no lingering injury from it though.
Teresa in TN thanks for the video from Arizona. They don’t post any update info on the elephants. It’s nice to see them having a nice splash around.
SDZ may I ask if Lungile is pregnant? She sure looked that way before she left. Thank you for letting us know about Swazi. That’s exciting. I sure thought it was Dula pregnant.
Moderator’s note: Lungile was not pregnant when she moved to Arizona.
What is all the destruction/construction activity that is going on in the West yard?
Moderator’s note: Just making some yard adjustments, adding heating to the large rock structure. Should be finished soon.
There is a new video (June 7) of “our ellies” in Reid Park, swimming and having a wonderful time. Great video with close-ups in the water. They all look like they are thriving in Arizona.
I was also wondering about Emanti, whether he is socializing ok after his mom passing. I’ve seen Neepo try to wrestle with Emanti but it seems like Emanti does not want to play with him. does Emanti just prefer to play with the larger calves? is Emanti considered to still be in mourning? I mostly see him eating alone or sometimes with Kami.
I’m wondering about Emanti too. I was just watching the cam and I saw Umngani pust Emanti away with her trunk when he approached her and Neepo. I am very worried about the little guy. I think he is depressed as he doesn’t seem to be getting any attention or affection lately, not even from his sister Kami. I requested a new blog about how he and Kami are doing and coping with the loss of their mother but no new blog yet.
I too am puzzled as well as disturbed over what appears to have been the gradual but increasing ostracization of poor Emanti by many of the herd. But even more disheartening is Kami’s recent aggressive behavior toward her little brother that I had observed on cam during a yard change today. Kami seems to have forsaken Emanti for NeePo ? Also it looks as if she attempts to gain favor through her more frequent physical closeness to Umngani ? I am anxiously awaiting more info from the SAP E-team.
Moderator’s note: Yours truly will be chatting with one of the elephant keepers this week to get an update on Emanti and the rest of the herd. Thank you all for your patience.
What is Emanti’s weight these days? Is he catching up to Mac and Luti? He is such a little peanut.
a couple of times, I’m pretty sure I saw Emanti standing under Msholo’s trunk. it surprised me b/c the calves usually do this with their moms. also, I kind of thought Msholo was a more aggressive (altho not dangerous to the others) type from the boldness of his motions. it seemed like Msholo neither really discouraged nor encouraged this behavior from Emanti. Msholo seemed more focused on eating but it seemed nice that Emanti would try to adopt Msholo.
I have not been following the ellie cam as much lately but I wonder if the adult females would push Emanti mainly to discourage him from trying to nurse from them. when Neepo first arrived, Umngani did that to Ingadze.
this morning I observed a large group of ellies feeding close together, including Umngani’s family and Emanti. Neepo was facing Emanti and kept trying to follow him. even when Emanti started to separate from the group, Neepo followed. when Emanti noticed this, he started to run away and Neepo chased briefly but gave up. poor silly Neepo, I guess he wants a wrestling mate near his size. he looks envious watching Luti (?) and Macembe (?) wrestling most days.
when Emanti is feeding alone, he actually looks peaceful to me. he often has a big pile of hay all to himself. it’s funny how many humans worry about him, he has a very eclectic family.
I have to say, Umgani is the sweetest mother with the sweetest little family ever! The Park should commission somebody to make a children’s book of them with proceeds to go to the elephants. Just saw them eating together, she had the three of them lined up in front of her for family hay. Too cute!
It’s time for an Update to this Elephants Move blog. After all, the elephant cam is at the Park and changes are being made. There is a hole in the wall of the shelter in the area that the camera is not mounted. Are there more changes to be expected? On the camera side, there have been long poles installed in deep footings and an object has been attached to the top of the 4 poles. Interesting, but what is it for? Even though the number of elephants at the park has dwindled to Msholo; Umngani and her 3 kids, Khosi, Ingadze, and Neepo; Ndlula and her two kids, Moose and Looty; and Swazi and Makembay; and Kami and Emanti, they provide a great deal of entertainment to the viewing public who, I am concerned, are not able to locate this blog as well as they could when it was the blog on the top of the list. The number of comments has been reduced to nothing on the current blog and I would hate to think that the number of viewers has dropped the same amount. Hope you read this and take this into consideration.
Moderator’s note: A new blog entry is in the works!
Don I finally got to see the poles this morning and wonder if they could be for an awning of sorts since that area really doesn’t have any shade area most of the time during the day. Just a thought?
There is a tarp-type thing anchored/suspended by the poles. Provides some shade. The shade pattern is visible on the ground.
As usual the SAP staff does a fantastic job in the huge task of maintenance, repair, arrangement, cleaning and preparation of the ellie yards. But also their ‘table-setting’ skills were especially noticeable today, with a wide assortment of food types including quite a few piles of hay with copious amounts of beet pulp topping. Umngani and family were the first into the yard and had a grand time wandering about sampling the ellie buffet.
Thank you !
I discovered your cams about 2 months ago and have enjoyed “getting to know” the herd and trying to identify everyone. I have thoroughly enjoyed watching them – until yesterday afternoon when I witnessed Swazi violently attack Neepo. The only reason I am bringing it up, is to make sure that the elephant team is aware of what occured. I thought about it all night and am wondering if the fact that yesterday Umngani and her clan were allowed into the yard first could have triggered Swazi to feel the need to put her back in her place. I’m relieved to see Neepo being his cute little self this morning, but it did appear that he is sticking close to Mom and sis!
Interesting. Yesterday I saw the herd being calm and wonderful and Emanti was in the “in” crowd, which really made me happy. Early this morning I noticed Musi was wanting a stand off with Umgani and I felt really sorry for her because he was actually chasing her and she was wanting so much not to be bothered by him. She tore across the yard with Neepo running as fast as he could to keep up. Afterward she went off alone and seemed to be feeling the effects of that chase by Musi. Is there something hormonal going on? They are so interesting, but it would be great to discover what is triggering some of what we are seeing. Maybe the next blog will enlighten us.
I saw the Musi thing with Umngani also and wondered about the source. Later I tuned in to an adult and youngster playing in the pond, and it turned out to be Msholo and what had to be Emanti. They started to get out, but Emanti splashed at the steps and went back in for more. The next thing I saw is Musi in the pond also, and he was pursuing Emanti and pushing him around, until all of a sudden Msholo barged in and ran Musi off! Interesting behavior, and it looks like Emanti has a patron! It also looks like somebody needs to pin Musi’s ears back, so to speak.
I too noticed some of what has been stated by others, however it seemed something had alarmed Umngani as well as Dula as both females and all their youngsters were running about the yard till they finally settled near the smaller yard even Swazi came over. It appeared as though they had formed somewhat of a protective circle around the smaller youngsters.
There may be cases of cam viewer misidentification of the participants involved, but I do feel that in recent weeks there has been a steady increase in the frequency of ‘confrontational’ incidents involving different ellies . Musi has often been cited as an initiator, which poosibly may be attributed to his maturing as a male. But both Swazi and Umngani and family have also been involved in several other ‘incidents’. One underlying behavioral trend seems to be that ‘Diva’ Umngani has become much less concerned with Swazi’s status as herd matriarch?
Is Umngani in season?
Moderator’s note: She has been sending Msholo some “come hither” signals.
I noticed early this morning that Msholo seem to be discharging secretions from his temporal ducts, is he in musth?
Looks like one of the ele’s has an ankle cuff on?
Moderator’s note: That is a leather band that holds an accelerometer (pedometer). It is part of movement studies the Institute for Conservation Research is doing.
Have they stopped using the elephant viewing area? The fence area closest to the pool is still there, but the fence on the side closest to the yard is gone and guests could now walk, and perhaps fall, into the yard. Back to the long poles and the awning at the top over the yard, it is so high that even though it may throw some shade on the ground, it is such an infinitesimally small amount of shade, I do not believe it would even cover an entire elephant. I’m sure I’m not the only one curious about the changes that are going on, so that new blog to update the status of things would be very welcome.
Moderator’s note: Your questions (and blog request) have been forwarded to the Elephant Team.
Don I asked when we might see the blog too and the reply stated that apparently it’s been put on hold for a bit but not forgotten. So I guess we’ll all have to speculate for awhile longer till we get the answers to all our questions.
Hi don, I was there this weekend and everything is good. The viewing areas are open and all is safe. The shade is large and not as high as it may appear through there cam. There is nothing like being there. I have been so concerned about Emanti, but it has all changed. The trainers called Swazi to the pool area, along with Mac. It was so amazing to be within feet of them and have Emanti join them! It turned into a mini pool party with Mac and Kami consistently climbing on Emanti and visitors saying “oh, they are all pushing the little one under water!”. Well, when the others climbed out, Emanti still wanted to go back in, but he then turned and trotted quickly after Swazi. I was there for hours and he was doing quite well. There really is nothing like being there and getting the correct perspective. The shade is large and yet does not impede the view of the elephants. It was a wonderful day and hopefully everyone visiting this blog will be able to visit and enjoy, especially the pool parties!
Interesting but also puzzling about the frequent and very physical closeness of numerous ellie group gatherings today, especially involving Umngani family. They were following her around as if all were tethered together. Whenever they stopped it seemed that each wanted to stand in the same spot at same time. Umngani often would soon start wandering again trying unsuccesfully to gain some breathing space. Also I wonder if Po is aware that his ‘mauling’ of the calf lying on the ground was caught on cam ?
Hope you read the new blog about Kami and Emanti and Swazi’s expected birth in August.
Just out of curiosity is there a reason why Swazi chases everyone out of the pool? The last few times I happened to catch the fun, it ends up with Swazi chasing everyone out of the pool. They all get out and wait for Swazi to leave and then head back in. Maybe The Swaz doesn’t like pool parties. It is just so funny to see.