We look forward to watching our newest elephant grow!
I received a call at home from Weston at 3:17 in the morning on Tuesday, August 28; he said he thought Swazi’s behavior was becoming more active. I told him to call me back if labor progressed, because we both thought that a birth might be a few hours away. I wondered (and really wished) if I could get another hour of sleep before I started making phone calls. I contemplated my next move. Lying in bed with my eyes closed while holding onto my cell phone, I received a text at 3:32 a.m. that read “I’d say we are under way.” While getting dressed in the dark, I managed to send out two texts to inform others of Swazi’s sudden change of behavior when, 14 minutes later, Weston texted me “baby is out.” Just like Swazi’s last calf, once she shows she’s in real labor, it’s over quickly!
Two incoming volunteer night watchers missed the birth by five minutes, but two others got to see the whole thing. By the time I rolled in, everything was pretty calm: Swazi and the newborn in our lower holding yard, son Macembe socializing through the cables with Umngani’s clan and Kami and Emanti out in the main yard. Weston said the calf got up within 15 minutes of birth, and Swazi was moving the calf around with her feet quite a bit. (Elephant moms scuff their feet along their newborn’s body to remove the amniotic sac and to get the calf to start breathing. It looks extremely aggressive, to say the least). Weston originally thought it was a boy, but the volunteers thought it was a girl. I didn’t commit either way until some daylight came out and I had personally observed a few urinations. Even when I was 95 percent sure it was a girl, I couldn’t come out and say it right away, because six boys in a row will do that to you! It will take staff many months before we quit saying “he” when referring to the newest calf.
Because it was important that she received the colostrum from Mom’s milk, I decided to separate Macembe into the lower yard and have Mom and new baby in the upper yard. Weston said that even though Swazi was shooing him away, Macembe still managed to sneak in a couple of quick nursings (Kami was the same way when her mother, Umoya, had Emanti). The upper yard is also more level, which would give baby a better chance at nursing.
Well, our new baby definitely isn’t Macembe-size, that’s for sure! As she attempted to nurse, it was obvious that she’d really have to stretch to reach long-legged Swazi’s nipples. We all started to wonder if she even could. Not seeing any success has a way of working on your anxieties. When we decided to try to weigh the baby just after 10 in the morning, we stopped Mom down the hallway, which allowed the calf to get into a great position to nurse. She found it! So, just over six hours after being born, the calf finally nursed (always one of two “huge-relief” milestones we like to see). Eventually, the calf nursed again, each successive nursing getting better and better, and now she’s good to go.
The next milestone was Mom passing her placenta. We could see that Swazi was still having contractions, and she looked great physically and behaviorally, so it became a waiting game with much worrying on our part. According to our data collections on 12 births, the placenta passed by the ninth hour or it didn’t. Swazi passed her placenta at 6:48 p.m. So doing the math, that’s over 16 hours. Who cares? It’s out! It looked completely intact, so we shoveled it into a plastic-lined trash can, double-bagged it, and put it in one of our extra refrigerators. Now it’s in the hands of our pathologists, who just love dissecting and studying these things.
Now it’s back to new-baby-normal for all of us. Macembe is back with Mom as well. He sure got the message this time around: as far as milk is concerned, it’s over! He vocalized his displeasure at Momma’s disciplining ways, and for now, keeps his distance. If all continues to go well, Swazi’s clan will meet the other moms and calves today. We’ll have Msholo join the gang on Sunday.
So keep your fingers crossed that all continues to go well, and hey, it’s a GIRL!!!!!
Curtis Lehman is an animal care manager at the San Diego Zoo Safari Park. Read his previous post, Elephant Vus’Musi.
I can only imagine the worries you all went through during those initial hours. But so glad to hear that all so far is going well. Let’s hope it continues on now that there are no barriers between them and the herd.
I see Kami has a real interest in the new calf, motherly instinct kicking in already lol.
Unfortunately the cam appears to freeze momentarily for a few seconds or so, making viewing delayed in some instances. Hope that resolves itself soon.
Congratulations again to everyone
I was wondering if that was Kami or Macembe being protective of the baby girl. it’s getting harder for me to tell the bigger calves apart. it even seemed at one moment that Kami was blocking Khosi from getting up close to the new calf.
Thanks for the great blog. You said you’d introduce the Moms and calves today. Does that include Musi? I worry the baby could get hurt with all the drama he causes.
Yes. Remember: Swazi is the matriarch. No one plays rough with her kids.
Amazing in all ways! Thank you Curtis! You always give us such great information!
Just had to say how cute it was to watch Kami staying so close to Swazi and the calf. Maybe it’s my imagination but it would appear that Swazi is allowing her to remain closer than the rest of the youngsters. I even caught Kami shooing away a few of them when they tried to come to close to the calf..
Perhaps she’s appointed herself as big sister even if she’s only a half one in reality. I think It would be good for her and Swazi if this new connection continued.
Thanks cam operator for the close ups of this prolonged scene with them all.
I saw that too. Kami was tentative at first, but then she moved closer and closer to Swazi with positive results. Swazi must have figured out that she really needs a helper and that Kami is a very good little girl. Kami was very helpful about gently moving the baby back to her mother when they baby reached out to her, Kami. She has placed herself as a blockade again the other kids as well, including Mac.
I watched Mac roaring again when his mother must have disciplined him. He’s not quite ready to give up the milk. When his mother wasn’t watching, he reached out and touched a nipple with his trunk and then put his trunk in his mouth to lick it off. Really cute and funny!
So glad everything is going well for the little girl.
I was watching Swazi with baby and she was surrounded by at least 8 or 9 of the herd. I found I wanted to use my mouse to move the other elephants out of the way so I could see the baby. See if your web team can work on that feature, won’t you.
Moderator’s note: I’ll forward your suggestion, Jan.
LOL, Jan! Wouldn’t THAT be a great feature…
Wow, Curtis! What a wonderfully informative post on all the happenings with the birth of Swazi’s little girl. It was a thrill to read. I can imagine all the anxious moments you must face in each of these births since you are so close to these amazing animals who are under your care. Whew! Talk about pressure! But how great that everything went smoothly overall, and now you have this adorable little cutie to present to all us fans out here. I’m looking forward to seeing the whole herd in just over a week so I was especially excited to hear (and to see) that baby girl is out with the rest of them already… sigh…
dudes
dudes
Looking at the cam right now. Khosi has some grass stuffed between her right tusk and her trunk, and pulls some out to eat without dropping the rest of it. It’s like having a pocket. Did she invent this?
Hah! I saw that and it was so cute. She is now my fav elephant, has won my heart constantly since baby arrived, starting with that curious and loving trunk reaching through the cables to touch the newborn and trying to climb into the area where Swazi and baby were. And, once I saw Musi take a block of hay and carry it the distance between his one long tusk and his trunk, and it looked like a briefcase of hay! They are great!
Curtis, thank you for the nicely detailed account! It is informative to be made aware of some of the thinking involved in ellie management. (And in the back of my head lies the question about what you would do if there were a glitch! It isn’t likely that you could intervene as you would with a cow or horse.) I unfortunately missed the initial meeting and mingling so I guess I just have to keep watching… sigh… In the mean time, the descriptions are great!
Did anyone get a video of the first introductions? (I hope, I hope.)
Thank you for the great update! Can’t wait to get there to see the new little GIRL!
Congratulations San Diego Zoo! Thanks so much for the great blog. I so enjoy watching.
When does the baby get her name?
Moderator’s note: That has not been determined yet.
Thank you so much for the update! I was not able to watch yesterday, but am going to do my best today or this weekend.
congratulations again to you Curtis and the whole zoo for another healthy calf!
Thank you so much, Curtis, for the informative and interesting post about the birth.
Is the cam operator on break, it seems to be stationary looking out onto the yard and the pool?
Moderator’s note: Our cam operators are volunteers, so you may have caught the cam during the “changing of the guard” so to speak. Also, they manage more than one cam at a time.
I just wanted to as if it might be possible to get the postcard feature on the elephant cam like they have on the panda cam. Sure would be nice to catch some of these great shots of the elephants and send them to friends and family who love them too…
Moderator’s note: I’ll pass your suggestion on.
I have watched so much today and have yet to see Swazi and family. I notice that Msholo is our in the main yard. Curtis had said they would introduce him to the newborn on Sunday. Are they doing it today instead or is swazi in the upper yard near the nice shady barn today? I so wish we could see more. Has anyone seen them today on the cam?
Thank you Curtis for your description of events as they unfolded during such a harrowing nail-biting time. I hope all will continue to go well. Umngani was and still is indeed fortunate to have had Khosi, Gadze, and eventually Kami to act as doting protectors in the raising of Neepo. So I think a next step will be for Swazi to allow Kami to assume that important role for the new little cutie.
Where’s the baby? Still haven’t seen her on the cam except in the video.
The cam has been in the same position for several hours so we haven’t been able to see Swazi and the baby at all today.
I checked the other cams and it doesn’t appear that anything is happening on any of them. Maybe there is no volunteer cam operator right now.
It would be great if the cam could be left pointed at the upper yard instead of always toward the pool. Would that be possible?
This seems like such a good idea. So many would love to view the baby and show it to their children. Maybe we need the cam placed onto Swazi’s back leg. : )
Good idea! Or maybe on Kami who always seems to be nearby.
Kami cam!
I can remember when the cam when not being manned by a volunteer operator was stationed on the yard toward the large structure. It now appears to have it’s stationary position shifted slightly more to include the pool area which at least allows us to catch pool parties when they happen.
Ohhhh, there they are! Swazi just brought her family to the place where the cam is set for the scenery. Thank you Swazi! See you Sunday at the Park! Such a cute baby and Mac is right by her side! ( unless that’s kami!). : )
Curtis, you are so spoiled by so many elephant births in the past few years. How could you possibly want that extra hour of sleep, knowing that Swazi was in labor? I would have jumped out of bed and broken all traffic laws to get to the Park. I would even have turned the lights on to get dressed.
Forgot to say:
Curtis, thanks for not rushing over before you were awake enough to get there safely (did you drive? drowsy driving is dangerous, so thanks for not doing that).
I’m confused….is there another camera somewhere I don’t know how to access? I understand the cams are volunteer operated….but to not be able to see the baby!!!!
Moderator’s note: In order for the cam operator to show the baby, she and Swazi need to be in a spot that the camera can cover. Our cam volunteers do the best they can to show the calf when possible.
Thanks mod. I’ll try to be patient, but not seeing her is so hard! A lot of viewers post videos or pictures of the pandas, but I don’t know if anyone does that for the elephants.
I agree with Marlene. I have learned a lot about patience, or my lack of it, today. I really appreciate our wonderful moderator who has to deal with our unhappiness about not being able to see Swazi and her baby. He or she has no control over what the volunteers are doing and can only reassure us about it. I suspect that there were long periods of time without any cam operator today because it was the same on the polar bear cam as well. There was a pretty long period of time that I could see part of Swazi and the baby but the cam never moved with them. I hope that tomorrow is a better day for the cam
With staff watching Baby Girl at night, they can also see what goes on with the rest of the herd. I am assuming a lot of the same antics occur at night. Swimming, eating, playing. What about sleeping? Sometimes you see the little guys flop on the ground during the day, but what about all the others? Kami, Khosi, Moose and the adults I have never seen lie down and catch some ZZZZs.
Moderator’s note: Elephants often sleep while standing.
Erin: I’ve noticed the adults will totally relax their trunks and let them lay on the ground when snoozing, standing up. It’s sometimes a good indication that they are sleeping if the trunks aren’t moving for a period of time
She is the cutest little thing. So glad t hear all seems to be going well. Thanks for sharing and I’m looking forward to this little girl growing also.
Hi! I was just on the elliecam, and not an elephant in sight! I was hoping to see Swazi and her little girl out there with the rest of the herd, but they all have moved out of sight to the other end of the yard. Will check back on the cam to see if I can see them. This was at around 5pm EDT my time.
Back later!
Chari Mercier
St. Pete, FL
Wow … is someone a little jealous or WHAT? Scary to see the big feet pushing the baby around …stepping so close. Mom doesn’t seem worried though.
Watching Swazi and baby this morning! Is that Kami being a good helper? Cracked up watching her helping baby back to her feet after a roll in the hay!
thanks for the close-up’s on the baby girl this morning. it looks like Kami and Emanti were allowed to stay in the enclosure with Swazi’s family. baby girl made a break thru Swazi’s forelegs for an inviting bed of hay. baby girl promptly laid down for a nap. Kami was quick to help up baby girl with a foot lift when the nap was over. then Kami curled her trunk under baby girl’s chin. what a baby sitter (I guess she got experience with Emanti + youngsters).
The herd are surrounding Swazi and the calf is there some danger that they percieve or is it just the people?
We had an awesome day at the Safari Park today. The entire herd was interesting. When they were surrounding Swazi we were assuming it was to give shade to the baby and to just be near. They huddled there for a long time and as they got hot they began to go to the water and mud holes. Early, at opening time, they was a collective “ahhhhhhhh” from the 15 or so of us watching when baby suddenly decided it was time to lay down and rest. She stole everyone’s heart today. She gets around a great deal with mom, even came right in front of us at the pool. What a wonderful day. I hope ypu can all get there to enjoy.
Sounds like *everyone* there wants to watch the baby!
: ). Actually the “ahhhhhh” was as in seeing the most precious sight and cutest little girl elephant ever. Everyone was mesmerized. She is adorable. And, she gets about very well, amazing at just a few days old.
If anyone is interested–go to the Sarari Park’s facebook page to see some pictures of Samba and her boys at Reid Park Zoo in Tucson. Visited Sunday afternoon. Mabu and Lugile were in the back yard together–wondering if they’re hoping for breeding. There were no keepers around to ask. Oh well.
Moderator’s note: Here’s the link to the Safari Park’s facebook: http://www.facebook.com/sdzsafaripark
sometimes when baby girl lies down, either Swazi or Kami seem to try to push her back up with their feet. at times, I can see that it is an effort to help the baby up. but sometimes, there is a foot push right after the baby lies down. is there a purpose to this behavior? is there concern at this age that if the baby lies down too frequently, it might signal weakness and danger to her longevity? how long will there be a keeper watch on the baby?
I would think that Swazi and her helper Kami want the calf on her feet so that she is able to be near Swazi in case of danger and to keep her out of harm’s way. Perhaps instinctive reaction from being in the wild? Though I would think, baby just wants to nap ocasionally, it must get tiring to walk most of the time around the yard with mom.
I believe that baby watch last 5 weeks, if I recall correctly from previous ones on the other calves.
Swazi nudges baby to get up every 30 minutes or so at this stage so that she can nurse. This is Swazi (and Kami) being attentive to the calf’s needs. Keepers will continue to keep watch for several weeks.
thx Donna and Elephant Team for responses.
I noticed that to and was wondering if there was anything wrong, never seen them surround each other like that before.
I was there and observed nothing was wrong. They did put Msholo in the same area as Swazi and baby for the first time since the birth. He pretty much enjoyed his hay until maybe he got enough and decided to go hang out with Swazi. The young elephants love to be near the baby, and so they all sort of formed a tight huddle and looked totally content and relaxed. It was all very peaceful on a very hot day.
I was watching that on the cam and it appeared they were all just trying to share the shade from the nearby tree. Though I did notice baby girl ended up away from Swazi a couple of times..I can imagine how easy that would be with all those legs and trunks to contend with. She did eventually get guided back thanks to a gentle push by Msholo’s leg as well as Kami and Khosi’s trunks. Good thing she has watchful half sisters since Swazi didn’t seem to be able to locate her.
Watchful half sisters and a watchful uncle (Msholo’s her uncle the way the other adults besides Swazi are her aunties, right?).
BTW, anyone know if Mabhulane and Msholo had any more kids back in the wild like how Ndlulamitsi got pregnant in the wild? Or do male adult elephants not stick to one herd enough for the rangers to tell?
Msholo isn’t related to any of the females, nor are the adult females related. Only the youngsters are since Mabu is the father to all except Musi, who has an unknown father from the wild.
I believe male adult elephants go to any herd in the wild depending on which females are in estrus.
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Thanks for the info, Donna!
I thought that when we say a calf has “aunts” in the herd it’s because those other female adults help the calf’s mother raise that calf, even though they’re not genetically the mother’s sisters.
Which I guess would mean, when Msholo isn’t a calf’s father and still helps the mother raise that calf, then Msholo’s the calf’s “uncle” even though he’s not genetically the mother’s brother.
Notes from an amateur observer: Looks like Swazi may have produced a real pistol! She is confident enough in that upper yard to walk far away from mom on a curiosity trip, and she has quickly figured out the ‘ears and tail’ thing as she ‘runs’ around. Seems like her trunk is also pretty active for her age. Ellie got some brains and ‘tude! Even though she is a girl, looks like Neepo is going to have some competition in the active behavior category. Just give her a few months. Kami and Khosi are going to be busy. Either she is exceptional, or I just don’t remember Neepo’s first days that well. Any elephant team behavior observations?
I was thinking the same things. This little girl is so active, running backwards and forwards at a good clip, being so curious that she can wander pretty far away from Swazi. Neepo was really amazing but this baby seems a lot more rambuntious than Neepo was. The babysitters will be very busy keeping track of this little one.
OK, what’s SiSwati for “active”?
Did everybody see that? Swazi was sloshing muddy water from the mud hole when the baby went in trunk first. Swazi walked away so Kami and Khosi pulled the baby out.
I’m thinking that Swazi didn’t even see the baby in the water. On the introductions page, it says something about her eyesight not being very good. It also says that she is “quirky.” It’s fairly “quirky” to let the baby get so close to water. Last year Umngani and Khosi were so concerned about Neepo getting anywhere near even the smallest puddles in the yard that they would try to slosh all the water out first. Swazi desperately needs all the help she can get to keep her baby safe.
Very interesting episode this afternoon. The little girl slid down into the mud hole with Swazi standing right there. Khosi and Kam were the ones to get the girl out. I sat here holding my breath with her trunk and mouth under mud water. Of course it was a very short time but humanizing took over. Why would Swazi walk away with her in the mud and leave it up to the others to get her out?
Great cam work today! Thanks cam operator!
Yes, Poppy I saw that. Khosi and Kami are stuck like glue to baby.
Lookit right now, Swazi (that is her, right?) and Newbie and Khosi (I could tell becasue of her trunks) on the cam and another calf (who?).
Thanks cam operator!
Swazi actually pushed her little girl into the mud puddle and the little girl was splashing herself all over with her trunk. She has two very responsible baby sitters in Khosi and Kami so Swazi knew the baby would get out fine. I watched the webcams for 4 hours because nobody had signed up and this was my favorite activity of the whole day. The comments seem to indicate people want to see as much of the baby girl as they can. Lots of times Swazi can walk out of the picture and stay out for a long time so I treasure every time I can get her on camera. Swazi had actually stopped and looked at the mud puddle and at the little girl as if asking if the little girl wanted to get in the mud. To me, the little girl’s answer was an emphatic YES! With Mom and her two reliable baby sitters, I believe the baby was being well watched.
Don, you are an amazing cam operator. My husband agreed that somebody was on cam that really knew the elephants and how to best capture their personalities. Thank you so much. I hope there is a permanent copy of your cam work yesterday that we can all watch and enjoy. If it were to go up for sale, with proceeds to the elephants, we would purchase! Thanks for a great four hours of viewing!
Unfortunately, the webcams and elephant cam are live shots. There is no storage. You will have to visit the park and take your own videos if you want storage to see over and over.
That actually makes a lot of sense. It goes along with the advanced adventure and development gene that is apparently part of her equipment.
Don: I have always admired your cam skills and your dedication to giving the rest of us watching the elies, the best views possible of the herd as they interact with each other and now with the new calf.
It would be great if there was some way that you could give iessons or suggestions to the other volunteer cam operators. As I have found at times, we see the cam focus on only half bodies and legs of the ellies at the top of the screen (a bit hard to figure out who is who this way) while the majority of the screen shows the yard in front of them. Sometimes a pool party is going on and the cam swings to another ellie who is eating. As well as watching the cam go from showing the main portion of the herd cavorting together to focus on an empty yard.
I’m not saying that we don’t appreciate the other operators, who volunteer their time to allow us the priviledge of watching these magnificent creatures, as we certainly do.
So to all those who volunteer as cam operators a big thank you!
Msholo pruning trees up by the barns – that’s some reach!!
Khosi is the only one I recognise because of her tusks but she is most certainly staying as close to Swazi and the baby as she can. I watched her yesterday as she would slowly back up a little closer then reach over and touch the baby. I’m curious as to whether she stayed that close to Swazi before the baby was born.
I am surprised how baby has been straying away from mom since the very day of her birth. Also by her behavior and agility it seems that cutie is mature beyond her years (or days). I think this little Princess is really going to be a handful for Swazi and baby sitters. And until she gets a name, for now I will call her “Wild Thang”
Maybe those extra weeks in the womb helped the baby come out with such maturity and agility. It’s a good thing that she has so many good babysitters.
I`d say that`s because the new baby has an experienced, high-ranking mother and a lot of older siblings. So much input makes a calf develop much faster. You can see that in other zoos with serveral calves as well. The calves born into small, inexperienced herds with only one or no siblings take much longer to become self-confident enough to go a few steps away from mom and their development of motor skills is much slower. I have not scientifically studied that, just seen it many times, but it`s very obvious.
There is a great video of Mabu and his herd on the web page of Reid Park Zoo. Click on The Journey of Expedition Tanzania. I just happened to find it today. Nice to see them all doing well.
Talk about frustrating. 13 elephants in the herd, and all I can find are Dula, Moose, and Luty!
I enjoy seeing the others but I’d rather see Swazi and the baby more. It looks like Kami and Emanti spent the night with them. It seemed so strange to see Umngani with her 3 calves instead of the 5 she usually has.
It does appear that SAP could be actively fostering the situation for Kami to be accepted by Swazi as royal babysitter, instead of Khosi. That may help to reduce the potential for future ‘conflict of interest’, since Neepo, stiil a baby himself, will continue to need his big sis as his own protector ?
that or Swazi realizes that Kami doesn’t have a younger brother who still needs as much looking after as Neepo does. Plus no mother anymore who can call her elsewhere when needed for whatever reason.
I wonder does Kami and Emanti still hold their rank in the herd now that Moya is gone and if so then perhaps seeing as Moya was second in the hierachy if that influences Swazi’s decision to allow Kami to remain so close by?
I’m just partially jesting but I think even the larger male calves actually need protection from Neepo. he is a feisty little boy with a lot of energy.
that baby girl can climb the stairs. I was surprised her legs were long enough. she looks just tiny compared to Swazi and the young boy calves. I still think that Luti looks built like a tank (in the past I’d associated more with Asian ellies).
I saw that today too. Swazi went for a drink at the pool and Baby Girl went up and down the stairs without a problem. What a little dynamo!
“Dynamo” is even better than “Active.”
ANYONE KNOW THE SISWATI TRANSLATION OF “DYNAMO”?
That little Neepo is full of beans. He was trying to play with the little girl in the mud when Swazi left. Kami and Khosi came to the rescue of Neepo when Swazi turned around and came back. Khosi sure has her day full with that little brother. Looks like the little girl is gonna be just as full of beans as Neepo. So much fun to watch this hurd. Thanks!
Neepo was very gentle with the little girl and just wanted to touch her. He is probably fascinated with another baby elephant, someone smaller than he is. When Swazi came back to fetch her baby, Neepo was helping to push her up the slippery slope which was so sweet of him.
Neepo is definitely a handful for his Umngani, Khosi, and Ingadze, but they are a very close and loving family. It looks like Ingadze is enjoying a lot of one-on-one time with his mother now that the crowd has thinned so much.
I love the comments above from the other bloggers that Kami is the royal babysitter and that she might have been given that exalted position because her late mother, Umoya, was second in command to Swazi. We might conclude that Umoya was the Queen’s “lady in waiting,” affording her daughter special dispensation and privileges.
Kami seems to be in little girl heaven right now, getting to be with the special baby girl all the time.
Ingadze babysits too? Cool, I didn’t know that the big brothers babysit as well as the big sisters. He’ll grow up to be a good papa like Mabhulane.
yes, I’ve seen Ingadze protect Neepo from potentially rough-housing young calves on occasion. I have an adopted male elephant calf in Kenya (named Orwa). he is known to be a frequent care-giver towards newly orphaned elephants.
Coooooooooooooool
I was wondering how often the calf is weighed to see if she’s gaining weight?
As often as she and Mom allow it, which, as she gets older, will be pretty regularly.
Is it normal for the baby to lay down alot ? I noticed this morning she was down and Mom didn’t seem to matter ? Is that playing ? Hope she is OK. We are such Moms. Worry Worts.
Moderator’s note: Please remember that newborns need their rest, and our newest calf is constantly being observed by keepers. If anything was amiss health-wise, our team would step in to help. We hope you continue to watch our little one grow!
What is the shiny-looking flat panel thing that the keepers are using with Musi right now? Does it measure something?
It is fascinating to watch the training/examination sessions. Today Moose had a lengthy session where apparently the keepers were using an electronic device to examine his left tusk stump. I wonder if this was in preparation of possibly installing a steel tusk cap?
Moderator’s note: Your question has been forwarded to the Elephant Team.
Today was a routine tusk radiograph to check up on Vus’musi’s left tusk pulpotomy. The plate is attached to the device that records the radiograph that’s taken from the attached radiograph “gun.”
I watch the elephant webcam by the hour here in Pennsylvania and find the personalities very interesting.
I’ve been watching Baby Girl being ‘trunked’ and softly kicked by her big brother and Khosi. Khosi is sneaky and quietly backs up to the Baby to kick with her back foot, as well as when beside her. And even Mom trunks and kicks Baby especially when she is trying to nap. This kid is really getting it from all sides. I wonder if Baby finally gets her rest at night???
I bet she gets some rest at night but not all night.
You know how human newborns burn calories very quickly because they’re growing so much, but still have tiny stomachs, so they have to keep waking up all night for feedings their stomachs can’t hold enough calories to make it through an 8-hour sleep without feeding again?
Elephant team, elephant newborns are like that too, right? Newbie’s *head* looks bigger than her belly, and all the other newborn calves I’ve seen were like that too…
They seem to really like the mud baths. Why isn’t there a bigger area for the mud? It seems to dry up in the early afternoon just when they need it for protection.
About 9:30 a.m., when they let the elephants out of the yard into the field for the first time, Swazi was at the structure at the far end of the field in nothing flat and that little girl was keeping right up with her. I think she has the makings of an Olympic star! It was a bright spot in my morning shift and I wondered if anyone was watching at the time. I know she can fall asleep in about 2 seconds when she is in the yard, but she sure can move when you turn her loose.
I caught it too Don, she sure can move to keep up with Swazi, yet give her a minute of so while momma eats and she’s down for awhile till it;s time to move again
Thank you! Swazi ran because she wanted to! And that’s one fast Mama! Some people may not agree with everything she does, but I truly believe she loves her baby girl as much as any human mother could love their own child.
Don, I saw it and I agree with you; she has the makings of a super-star! She seems willing to try anything.
Thank you! And read my comment above to Donna. I see the camera person is following Swazi and baby girl in the yard the way I like to. Shifts are all signed up for today, so viewers should have a great day.
Of course, Mama knows best! She knew she had given birth to a very exceptional little girl. She might have suspected this during her pregnancy due to whatever the baby was doing inside her and how long she was in there. Swazi loves her baby girl very much!
Some of the posts crack me up ALMOST as much as watching the herd interact with our new baby! I love to visualize what I’m reading since I can’t watch during work. We all sound like a bunch of overprotective grandmas and grandpas (I am just as guilty). Thanks so much to Don and all the elephant team for indulging us!
Baby seems to be more agile and doing things sooner than the other calves did at that age.
agreed. I only saw Neepo develop but I somewhat recall it took him a while to get the hang of getting from standing to a lying position. baby girl seems to make both transitions (lying down and getting up) relatively smoothly. of course I don’t have any formal comparison but it’s just an impression.
Good morning,
I have been watching this week and the native deer population seem to enjoy the treats they receive from the elephant exhibit. The ellie boys seem to like to chase them when they get to close. It’s quite entertaining.
Our newest member seems to be doing really well. I love they way she “crouches” lower on her hind legs to feed.
I can’t wait till it cools down so I can come and visit.
What’s wrong with Swasi? She’s running around and trying to lay down and pushing everyone off? Baby grl is trying to keep up but she ran to her babysitters just now.
OH MY!! What is going on? 11 AM in CA and the ellies seem to be going crazy. Poor baby girl is turning in circles trying to keep up with mom, and mom is swinging her trunk, laying down, popping up, flaring her ears…..seems like trouble is brewing.
Yikes! Can someone please tell me what was going on this morning on the cam around 10:50am (your time) to about 11am( your time)? Swazi, with baby gamely close, was swinging her head and trunk around, and at one point got down on her knees. Then there seemed to a lot of running around in the yard, back and forth, by Swazi, baby, and several elephants (I don’t know who is who yet!), with what looked like protective posturings and some aggressive ones (?). There is/was a lot of ear flapping, more than normally to just relieve hot weather. It all looked a little scary., as all the elephants seemed very agitated.
Elephant Team responds: Not to worry, it was just a little hanky panky going on. Msholo and Ndlula were breeding.
Darn I missed that action though I see Swazi and family are back in the smaller yard at almost noon PST.
Maybe too many around her to keep her feeling comfortable with all the attention by the others around baby? Or they sensed something was amiss somewhere, they can hear things we humans can’t. Just thoughts.
Out of consideration for our great moderator(s) I did not submit any long-winded comment about my gross misinterpretations regarding the ellie mayhem today. Glad that I waited for Elephant Team’s explanation about Msholo and Ndula’s hanky-panky ! And I can’t wait to hear how that will turn out !!
OMG!!! Breeding!! I thought you were experiencing an earthquake in San Diego!! I even did a google search in news. I have NEVER seen the elephants behave in the manor they did. At one point, it even looked like the poor little baby got confused and was following the wrong mother and Kami and Khosi scooped in and herded her in the right direction. I also saw Swazi trying to lay down several times. What a hoot!! I guess since this is a family rated cam, the operator was right to stay on the herd and not the action causing it. Color me amused!
Steve I’m with you.. would be nice to see Dula have another calf, as well know that Msholo is capable of fathering one since he hasn’t before, here or before he came to the Park. New bloodlines would be a good thing.
Thanks for the info, Elephant Team! Phew….I was worried! Does anyone know if that kind of herd behavior is normal in the wild, when there’s breeding going on? Is there trumpeting and loud (to the elephants) rumblings when that’s happening and that is what upsets the other elephants? Or is there ‘aggressive-type’ behavior between the breeders that makes the others a little rattled, or is it increased smells, or….? Yes, I am curious! : ) I so enjoy observing the matriarchal, caring behaviors of these majestic creatures; thank you for the opportunity through your video cam. : )
Elephant Team responds: These are natural behaviors seen in the wild.
I recently saw a talk given by a woman who is involved with the wild elephants of Amboseli; it was on Wild Planet cable TV, I think. Sorry to be so vague, I just can’t remember those details. However, I do remember she was giving a slide show of the elephant herds that she follows, and there was one of a large bull mating with a young female. Along side was her mother running along. The lady said that this is normal for the other females to “get involved,” so to speak. Although the camera this morning did not show us the action, I had an inkling that something was going on outside our view. I am surprised that all the elephants aren’t in a heap this afternoon, exhausted from all that running around this morning.
Oh, THANK YOU Elephant Team for letting us know why all the wild behavior was going on. I was intently watching and trying to figure out what was causing all the running around, particularly by Swazi with everyone following, not to mention all the pirouettes. Almost looked like they were dancing at times. At first I thought maybe Swazi was just trying to get the others away from her because everyone kept bunching up around her, but then it almost seemed as if she was trying to get away from the baby, too. I noticed Misholo was aroused but never saw any actual mating going on. Once the crew came out with the buckets it all seemed to calm down. Glad to know the hubbub was nothing serious.
I also noticed that Umgani didn’t seem to be as ‘disturbed’ as the others. LOL….Could Swazi have been a bit jealous?
this morning, before 8am PST I was watching Ndula and Luti. Musi walked up to them (with energy) and looked kind of happy to join them. Ndula tried to push Musi away. is this a trend in Ndula’s behavior because of Musi’s adolescent development? would this be a more isolated event b/c she knew she was in estrous?
Vus’musi is reaching the age where his mother will begin to guide him toward more independence. This may have been such a time or it could have simply been a moment where Ndlula wanted a little peace and quiet.
Elephant Team: Thank you for the great explanation of the herd’s wild behavior this morning. I guess that breeding is a joyous and exciting community event, just like the birth of a new baby.
Also, have other herd members had pulpotomies? We know about Khosi and now about Musi. Thank you for all the wonderful care that you provide for our elephants.
BTW Recently there was talk of elephants not running. The elephants today were giving a pretty good imitation of it this afternoon.
Mabhulane has one of those metal tusk caps (crowns?) on his left tusk like Khosi has on both tusks. Like father, like daughter?
Vus’musi had a pulpotomy when he broke a tusk. No cap needed on his.
Dear Elephant Team: I am very concerned about Khosi’s negative behavior toward Baby Girl. I frequently see her kicking at Baby with front and rear feet, pushing with her trunk, bumping at her with her body, and using her trunk to take Baby off Mom’s nipple. She kicks at her when she tries to catch a nap and just in general acts all negative toward Baby. What gives? I thought she had a rep as “Babysitter.” Why is she so aggressive toward this newborn? Is Baby getting enough nurishment from Mom? Thanks for your response to my questions.
Here’s my take on Khosi. She is highly intelligent, creative, and she’s used to taking over with all the younger calves. One blogger recently suggested that she be nicknamed “Little Miss Bossy Tusks,” I think it was. She wanted to babysit Swazi’s baby and seemed to hang around Swazi a lot before the baby was born. Since the birth, Swazi seems to prefer Kami as the main babysitter. Khosi is probably jealous of Kami so when Khosi gets to spend time with the baby, she’s overzealous, to say the least. She might be trying to prove to Swazi what a great babysitter she is. I don’t think she means to harm the baby. Let’s just say Khosi is a bit pushy, to be kind about it.
“Khosi is probably jealous of Kami so when Khosi gets to spend time with the baby, she’s overzealous, to say the least.”
Huh?
It’s not as if Phakamile can pick up Newbie and surrpound her like a human babysitter can wrap his or her arms around a human baby. Can’t Khosi be right next to Newbie on one side when Phakamile is right next to Newbie on another side and Swazi is right next to Newbie on a third side (counting the front side and the back side as sides too)?
Khosi is actually behaving much like Swazi. It is not aggressive, although it may look that way. Khosi is reminding the calf to get up and nurse. Swazi does the same when she wants her to get up. And yes, she is nursing just fine and gaining weight.
I hope you are correct; you folks are the experts. But when I see Khosi pulls Baby’s mouth off Mom’s nipple, I have to wonder.
I’m very glad to hear Baby is gaining weight.
Thanks for your replies! : )
Wow… I had actually correctly interpreted Khosi’s behavior toward baby even before the Elephant Team commented. She also behaved in that manner toward Neepo when he was younger. It seemed that whenever he would try to nap she would soon rouse him to his feet again with foot or trunk. I still thinks she really overdoes that though.
Well, if there is no pregnancy as a result of that union, it is not for a lack of trying. Thank you for the brief view of what was going on. Fascinating.
Wild goings on this morning too! I am assuming it’s more of the same. Wasn’t sure who Msholo was chasing around. Thanks for all the info!
Msholo and Ndula had another breeding event this evening. Umngani was nearby and looked very excited. Musi seemed to watch from a distance. after it was over, Musi came over but seemed to approach Ndula a little more warily, not crowding her. it’s a little hard to watch Musi separating from Ndula. it must be so but she’s the one who indulged him with a very long nursing period and so probably a deep attachment. it would be interesting to understand what he makes of the breeding events.
Musi trying to breed with Khosi. hopefully she can just shake him off. too much excitement for me.
I am so excited with the new girl!!! I’ll come see her in person very soon. However, I wanted to ask all of you, readers and moderators and elephant team if somebody can put together a set of pictures of the herd, where we can see the distinctive characteristics of each elephant. Last year somebody did a wonderful job explaining how each one’s tail looked, tusks, etc.
I really would love to be able to tell the kids apart!
It would be so helpful if the experienced “cam watchers” could share the characteristics of each elephant. Or maybe each elephant could wear a license plate? ; – )
Kathy The descriptions that tell how to distinguish the adutls as well as Musi and Khosi is listed below on the cam screen page. As to the rest of the male youngsters. Ingadze is the biggest and his tusks are longer then the rest of the boys. Mac for the time being is usually found near Swazi, Luti is usually around Dula and Emanti is a little smaller than the other 2. While Neepo is the smallest male. I’m still working on distinguishing them by their tails and tusks.
Swazi’s baby girl is so smart and so cute. She follows her mother so well. The little “bow” at the tip of her tail is just so feminine too.
I think it is cute when Baby Girl is nursing and lifts one of her front legs up. It reminds me of keeping your pinkie finger out when sipping tea. Really sweet.
I am an elephantophile. I was thinking about how elephant social life can be as dramatic as our soap operas. these would be my ideas for show names (starring elephants). Guiding Rumble (for Guiding Light). One Life to Carry for 22 Months (for One Life to Live). Elephant Tale (for Falcon Crest). All My Children (unchanged title with Mabu as the main star). As the Pool Fills (for As the World Turns). SDZ Safari Park, 92027 (for Beverly Hills 90210).
Clever!
Don’t forget “Another Calf” (for Another World), The Young & the Mischievous, The Cute & the Playful. 
Swazi’s little one is sure precocious. I don’t remember any of the calves using their trunks at such an early age. Today the little one is using her trunk to get branches to her mouth to chew on. I’m sure she doesn’t have teeth yet, but clearly she’s motivated.
I am amazed at how soon Swazi’s baby was able to use her trunk to wrap around objects… pulling on fence chains, lifting browse branches and sticks, etc. It had taken Neepo months of twirling his limp noodle around before he was able to achieve that degree of trunk muscle control.
Now please everyone don’t take this the wrong way,
However I have to wonder if girl elles are able to learn quicker and sooner then the boys. After all in the wild, they grow up to be matriarchs, who are responsible for a herd, as to what routes to take to find food and water, teach the offspring the skills they need to survive, etc. .
Just a thought.
Just wondering if you have anything special planned for Khosi tomorrow for her birthday? Being on the east coast, I won’t be able to watch, but I hope it is someting special!
I was away on vacation for 12 days and I see that I missed a lot of action. Thanks to all the bloggers for the posts. YAY on Dula and Msholo breeding.
I was at the Indy Zoo on September 1st and saw the new ellie baby girl Nyah, born June 28th. She is adorable. This was my first time seeing a baby ellie in “real life” and I could not take my eyes off her. I took pix and a video.
I hope to get to SD at some point to see the herd. The newest baby is such a doll!
Happy Birthday to you. Happy Birthday to you. Happy Birthday dear sweet Khosi. Happy Birthday to you. Thanks for taking such good care of all the little ones in your family.
Happy sixth birthday, sweet Khosi! Don’t tell the other kids, but you’re my favorite.
I am just hugely impressed here! Princess is so independent and has grown! Did she do that overnight or what? She looks great, strong and healthy and full of energy. No worries about this girl, she will more than hold her own in the world. Gotta love her!
On second thought, “princess” is a good name too. What’s SiSwati for Princess?
Gate malfunction? Umgani had to squeeze through. Is it training about tight spaces?
Ohhhh cute! A birthday party for Khosi! : )
Happy Birthday Khosi ! Although I couldn’t believe how an over-exhuberant Umngani tried to squeeze through the partially opened yard gate, even getting herself stuck for a moment. Well, hopefully at least you enjoyed a taste of your birthday treats before gate-crasher mom got to them.
Oh, I get it! Thanks Steve, I could not figure out WHY that gate was set like that. Well, once Neepo charged through there was no stopping mom! Well, maybe momentarily! Everyone loves a party!
Is the baby just tired ? The young ‘uns keep pestering her and she keeps falling back down into the hay.
So this is a random question but upon watching the baby girl earlier today on top of the mud mound it looked like she sneezed… then one of the other little guys was eating and looked like he sneezed.. so upon researching i found no answers.. Do they sneeze when they get something up their trunks?? Their ears flare and head shakes… thanks
Moderator’s note: They are able to blow debris out of their trunk as needed.
thanks..I read that but sometimes it looks like they get confused when they do it and are startled.. so they basically just blow their nose and it isn’t caused by being stimulated unconsciously by irritation..
I missed Khosi’s birthday party. It sounds hilarious from the other bloggers comments. What treats were served? Who was invited and who were the gate crashers other than Umngani? Did Khosi get her fair share of treats?
happy late bday Khosi. she is a persistent baby sitter even though it seems like today Swazi is pushing Khosi away more than tolerating her. I suppose Neepo must be curious about baby girl, “who is that getting all the attention from my babysitters?” but he seems like he’s good natured, playing with others, and following Umngani around.
Wow .. Never thought I would ever see Umngani clan and Swazi family confined together in the inner compound ! Not quite sure if this odd combination was intentional or just an expedient way for the east yard to be cleaned. Mac sure had a great time with playmates. But Umngani was obviously uncomfortable, while Swazi appeared to be straining to remain polite during a surprise visit by unwanted house guests.
Keepers have to clean the fields so they have to put the elephants somewhere. Today they chose to put Swazi and Umngani together with their families in the yard during cleaning. I could tell Umngani was uncomfortable. They had Dula and family in the other field with Msholo.
Umm baby girl is trying to use her trunk to pick up water.. saw her use her mouth by bending down and tasting it then she stuck her trunk in the water and you could see she was imitating someone.. curl trunk.. and water fell out. don’t know how advanced that is for her age but to me seem pretty far forward.. also she was tasting some hay… amazing to see such a small one doing so much
I saw that too Tracie I still think she’s ahead of the other youngsters at that age for what she’s attempting already…. though i don’t think baby girl was so thrilled about mom throwing water on her when she was underneath Swazi, mind you it wasn’t intentional she just happened to be there lol
didn’t see that part of it. I was in class at the time and have it open in another window..
When Msholo runs his trunk over Umngani’s back and head, is this affection, dominance, or something else?
Elephants are tactile animals. They use the trunk to greet each other and communicate various feelings. What was Msholo saying exactly? It’s a secret between those two!
Okay, I get it, it’s their little secret! It usually looks like affection to me. I’ve seen Msholo doing that to the other females, including Khosi. I just figure that he likes girls a lot.
I am interested that the pool is full. Previously, it has been drained when there is a new calf. What’s the reason for that?
It’s hot!
Think it Kami (i know for sure not Khosi) was just trying to climb through the cables. Or one of the older boys (has tiny tusks) and another slightly smaller one was trying to as well.. Definately confused me when watching them.. Little girl was all up by the fence taunting them lol…
Thanks, camera operator. Those have been some beautiful closeups of Swazi and baby girl. I think she knows Mom gives a lot of shade so she takes advantage of it. Today was supposed to be the hottest day for a week and the way the elephants are flapping their ears seems to indicate Escondido is one of the hottest spots!
What’s going on with Musi this morning? He’s running around, throwing things, climbing on his little brother, and worst of all, sassing Swazi through the fence.
Dear, Dear Camera Volunteers:
I love watching the elephants, and for some reason, only one elephant is ‘showcased’ for looooong periods of time. There is a wonderful herd there. May we see more of the group. One elephant standing in one place eating is a grand sight, for sure. A whole herd – WOW! Please, let us see more of the herd interacting. That is simply fascinating!
Thank you for considering this request! Love YA!
Even with a herd of 13 elephants, there are times when nearly all of them decide to go under one or both of the structures at the same time and the webcam operator is hard-pressed to find even one. If they do find one, they usually keep it in view. The same thing happens in the other field where there is only one structure. The other end of that field has a number of bushes that do about the same thing.
Many times when I watch the elephants I see them cross their back legs. It is really cute to see. Does it have any special meaning that the keepers can detect? I’m thinking the elephant is pretty laid back at that point and that is why the animal is crossing their legs. Maybe it means nothing and it is just something cute and nothing more.
I had read that elephants, due to their ponderous weight, are prone to develope problems with their soft foot pads So, as a means to take the load off, at least for a short while, they frequently cross their front or rear legs and sometimes alternate holding a foot up off the ground .
Like chubby flamingos! : )
On Sunday, Sept 9th I spent hours at the SDZ Safari Park — most of the time watching the elephants. I got some great views of Swazi and her little girl and a chance to chat with keepers to find out how things are going. I got a kick out of their remarks about Khosi and Kami trying to “own” the new baby. They are both all over her whenever possible. One cute moment was when the moved Swazi, Mac and baby into the upper enclosure for the night. They had to distract all the other ellies while they made the switch so that just Swazi and the kids would come into the enclosure for the night. Well, once the distraction was over and those three were in place, Khosi came racing over and I swear she had a look of disappointment on her face. I felt so sorry for her…
I (and everyone else visiting Safari Park that day) fell instantly in love with the new little girl. I never heard so many “Awwwwwww’s” and “Oh, I want one of those” comments before. She’s a little charmer (but aren’t all those little ones!!!) I’m just sorry I live way up in Northern California and can’t get down that way as often as I’d like.
Love you guys at Safari Park! Keep up the good work!!!
Deborah,
You are so lucky to have gotten to see the elephants up close and to talk to the keepers about the enthusiastic babysitting girls, Kami and Khosi. I’ll bet that Khosi really was sad when she didn’t get to with Swazi and the baby so that probably was a sad look on her face. It looks like Kami and Khosi are sharing babysitting duties now. Swazi seems to be very nice to them. Today I noticed that she was gently touching Khosi as if to thank her, which is so unlike her previous crabby self.
Seeing the new baby up close must have been a thrill. I’m sure everyone falls in love with her instantly. She’s so tiny and cute, and really well-behaved.
Thanks for telling us about your visit.
Cooooooooool
My experience exactly when I went there a few days after she was born. It was as much fun hearing the joy of the visitors watching as it was to see how very tiny, yet able she is. And, the interactions of the other young elephants with her were so fun. Swazi’s baby is totally endearing, even more so in person. Those of us able to go see are so few and so lucky. Glad you had a day with them!
I just wanted to say that Weston is awesome. Every time he’s there, he is very friendly and loves talking with the visitors about the elephants. You can tell that he really loves his job and the elephants. I learn so much every time I get to chat with him. Thanks!