Vusmusi
After doing 24-hour watches for each calf born to our African elephant herd at the Safari Park, we keepers have had the opportunity to watch a lot of early morning behavior from all the elephants. We have noticed that during this time the elephants tend to be very playful. You may see things such as walking forward or backward, head bobbing, sitting, lying down, tusking the ground, kicking logs or other toys in the yard, chasing each other, trunk wrestling with each other, making a dog pile (mostly with the youngsters), swimming, trumpeting, ear flaring, mock charging items in their environment… the list is endless. One thing is for sure, they are fun to watch any time of day!
Mindy Albright is a senior keeper at the San Diego Zoo Safari Park. Read her previous post, Elephant Treat Time.
question for the keepers: during the 24 hr watches, are you ever able to sight the adults sleeping? do they tend to sleep close to each other? what time do the elephants get up from their night sleep?
I thought I saw a deer in with the elephants tonight.
Does this happen often?
Neither the deer nor the elephants seemed bothered.
Thank you
I was watching a video on youtube about you extracting a tooth from a young male. I was wondering how much staff you needed for this procedure?
Monitor’s note: Specialized tools and more than 20 people assist during these procedures.
You’ve created great visual images, Mindy!
Now I know when the elephants make trumpets. During their early morning hijinks the volume level increases. The roar and snore guests would never need an alarm clock.
Reading the ATE newsletter, they passed on a link about elephant gestures.
www (dot) elephantvoices.org/component/vocals/?ampItemid=125
Beautiful images of these magnificent animals; and very informative. I have noticed many of these behaviors among this herd, and I’ll watch for others. Thanks for sharing!
Just a lucky break I was reading the newsletter and lo and behold what an interesting article from field research. I think my favourite look from the elephants is one they call feigned fear. I always called it the “what?” look, but I always chuckle when they do the action.
Thanks so much! The little ones are so much fun to watch in the early morning.
Anytime!!!
When Emanti has to take his antibiotics how does the Safari Park get him to take his medicine. Does the Safari Park hide it inside some food or sort of squirt it in his mouth. His bio says he likes water squirted into his mouth, so he would think it would be tasty water.
Moderator’s note: He is taking a fruit-flavored antibiotic, which he seems to enjoy, according to keepers.
If you go to the Reid Park Zoo facebook page they posted a video of Mabu and the others playing in their pool while it was snowing in Tucson. Yes you read that right–we had snow on and off all day in the valley of Tucson. You can see the ellies having great fun in their pool while the snowflakes are coming down.
We really enjoy having them here and Sunzu’s tusks are becoming visible. Our little guy is growing up!
Happy Birthday to you. Happy Birthday to you. Happy Birthday dear Moose. Happy Birthday to you. Happy 9th big boy.
I watched the elephants in Tucson today (as well as in SD) & they seemed to be having a great time In the pond, then the mud, then back to the pond!
I love watching the interaction between the elephants, they’re so interesting and entertaining.
Mindy: Thanks for the report on early morning with the elephants. Like the others who have already written, I too enjoy watching these creatures interact. They can be such clowns as they play with each other. I love it best when they play in the pool — I am always in stitches to see them have so much fun romping around in the water!!!
And you guys do a GREAT job with them! 
Calf, when? Love these beautiful magestic animals.
One of the animals we love the most are the elephants. They are so majestic, gentle animals. They show very human emotions of strong family ties and are very social. We just watched today at PBS “Battle for the Elephants”. It saddens us that poaching is still so rampant. Their lives are exchanged for art in some cultures. The lives of these creatures are as valuable as anyone creature in our ecosystem. It is sad to think that with this senseless killing of this wonderful animals, that we will only see these animals in zoos or pictures. That form of art from the death of such glorious beings does not compare to the beauty that these animals bring to this earth. The lives of the elephants, to us, is the better form of art! There needs to be a change for more conservation!
We are glad that SDZ takes care of these wonderful animals. We hope that their counterpart in the wild will have the same chance to live the way they should, with dignity and respect!
I have loved elephants my whole life, I could spend hours just watching them. My husband and I will be coming to San Diego on Apr 11 & 12th and definitely coming to the Safari. What is the best way to view the elephants and get as close as possible? Any recommendations on safari’s? I absolutely love elephant cam and could spend my whole day in front of my computer!
Moderator’s note: You’ll want to take a Behind-the-Scenes Safari that includes a visit to the elephants. You’ll love it!
Please share your experience with us. I am planning my own trip for February 2014 and will look forward to your words of advice. Have a wonderful time!
I would love to do something like that but it’s pretty expensive for both myself and my husband. If it was just me, I’d do it. Do any of the other Safari’s include the elephants? Or should we just walk around? Are there any discount coupons available online anywhere?
@ Gram in St. Louis, I’ll definitely keep you posted!
Moderator’s note: Your best bet is to call our helpful staff at 619-718-3000 to see what might be best for you.
Neepo is so pretty… his eyes are gorgeous. He hurried to catch up with Mom and couldn’t help but notice. I know he’s a he but quite a looker
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Maybe that’s why Nisa won’t leave him alone!
How in the world do you tell them apart? I have yet to tell any except the momma and baby girl..
Neepo is smaller than the 4-5 yr olds, but don’t tell him, and bigger than Nisa, but don’t tell HER.
Hi Mae. Let me share with you how I have learned to identify them since beginning to watch last August.
I started out reading the descriptions and then trying to recognize the easy ones first. For me, at the time, that was Khosi, with her stainless steel tusks. Then the others with different tusks became easy to spot. These include Swaze, Gani, Ndula, Moose and Msholo (also his walk is very distinctive). Gadze is easy now because his tusks are growing outwardly, at an angle, and he stays closer to mom Gani than does Neepo!
Neepo and Nisa are easy now because of their relative size. The ones giving me difficulty were the three males (and sometimes Kami when not in relation to another) Mac, Emanti and Luti who were all about the same age. Luti, like Gadze, sticks close to mom Ndula, but as he keeps getting larger than the others his age, is becoming easier to spot. Emanti is the smallest of these three, and now is missing a right tusk.
Others have mentioned looking at the tail differences. Once I began to distinguish them when they were with others, it became easier to identify them when alone.
I hope this helps. The more I watch, the more I also see their individual behaviors as clues to their identity. I really cannot wait to meet them in person next February!
Mae,
Each elephant has a description below on the cam page which may help you to be able to tell the elephants apart.
I usually think the same thing. Neepo is a beautiful elephant (despite his gender). really all the elephants have large eyes that look expressive (and don’t even get me started on their lashes).
I so enjoy the elephants..just don’t see enough of “the determined one.’ so cute..and so smart.
Q/A..Are there any pregnant mommy’s right now? If so, when do you expect her to give birth..Thanks
I’ve noticed over the last day or so the Cam is freezing for a short period then resumes or goes to Video Unavailable.. Hopefully it will be fixed shortly.
Also noticed this morning around 8:19 am PST time some of the elephants running across the yard and Swazi appeared upset.. ears flared and turning in circles. Unfortunately there was no cam operator panning the yard to see what might have gotten them stirred up,. Then the cam went to unavailable.
Moderator’s note: We are working to resolve some technical issues with Elephant Cam.
seems to me that your constant movement of the cam might cause some problems. i use to spend a lot of time watching , but lately , camera movement is constant. many a time i have settled in to watch the little ones play but as usual the camera was moved to another view.. i hope you will stop moving it around so much and let the world watch a little more. thanks. bob
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What is that big white dome thing visible to the south of the ellie yard? Looks like a huge balloon or something.
Moderator’s note: It is our Balloon Safari! Check out the video here…
Happy Birthday
Is Kami also missing a tusk (on her right)?
Mindy responds: Kami is not missing her right tusk, but it is very short. An injury to her tusk required a pulpotomy, which was completed on January 24.
I haven’t heard or seen anything that would indicate any problem with Kami’s tusks. Kami is Swazi’s top choice to help with Qinisa and has always had two very well matched tusks.
Good to know, Don. I must have been viewing Emanti but he looked larger because of the close-up. Thanks for the response.
When the keepers throw the pellets out to the elephants and they all start sniffing around on the ground, has the safari park ever thought of using those gizmos that are used at baseball games to send stuff farther away? The gizmos I am refering to are the ones when they want to hand out stuff during innings and some guy 15 rows away gets a chance. The stadium workers pop a t-shirt in and send it off. The pellets could go all over then.
Mindy responds: We use a sling shot from time to time to launch pellets out into the yard as far as we can.
I really enjoyed the cam work watching Luti, Musi and Emanti play in the water and then trunk wrestling between Luti and Emanti when Musi left the area. Sometimes I worry that the others are too rough with Emanti, but today they were all playing well together.
Has anyone else had problems with the cam today, its been down most of the afternoon for me?
Moderator’s note: Yes, we are having some power issues with that cam today. Our apologies as we work to correct the problem.
I was wondering if there will be something special done for Ingazde on his birthday on the 13th?
Also hope Reid Park is giving Impunga something today for his birthday.
This isn’t about elephants but I just watched a show called Zoo Diaries on National Geographic Wild. They showed the San Diego Wild Animal Park bottle feeding a rhino named Choto because his mum was young. These shows are a bit old but is Choto still at the Safari Park? He would be pretty big now.
Moderator’s note: Sadly, Choto passed away in 2003.
Are we watching Luti and Mac playing this evening?
New construction work going on around the elephant domain. Are the elephants getting a new structure or a new yard?
Moderator’s note: Work has started on the Safari Park’s new Tiger Trail habitat, which will be north of the elephant yards.
So cute watching Qinisa fan her little ears. Watching these elephants keeps my blood pressure normal, they are so gorgeous.
Happy Birthdy to Ingazde
Qinisa taking a nap. Msholo was sparring with Musi (?) or a larger calf. Couldn’t tell very well b/c Msholo was rising out of the water pool in the back exhibit. hope the elephants enjoyed the recent wet weather. it will be fun to see Qinisa get to play in the big pool this year. Emanti is looking robust in the tummy.
Happy 4th Birthday Ingadze ! Also in recent weeks (or longer), it seems that the elephant families are being separated into different yards more often than in the past ? Hope all is well within the herd. And a special Hi to !Qinisa for me.
I was just watching Neepo and Qinisa rolling in mud together which was so cute. Then Swazi came over and rudely pushed Neepo away. He looked so sad, poor little guy.
Thank You webcam operator!!! You followed the action til 7pm which was fantastic watching the dusk activities and interactions! Wonderful…
To Mindy: Just read your response to Gram in St. Louis of March 5 about the January 24 pulpotomy on Kami’s tusk which makes one tusk shorter than the other. Thanks for the information, I was not aware of it until today, March 17. Is this operation similar to the one done to Khosi because she had rubbed her tusks so thin they had to be operated on? Khosi’s have been doing fine and have continued to grow almost as much since the operation as the original length at the time of the operation. Just curious. I’ve been watching this herd ever since they first arrived.
Khosi is getting to be such a big girl. it seems like Musi is also growing but he seems to have a relatively small torso and long legs (compared to the adult females). Musi has the look of a goofy teenager (with broken tusk). glad that he can get his playful energy out with Msholo.
I want to second the thanks to the camera operator who has kept tabs on our beloved ellies until 7pm. What a treat to tune in and see them up close and personal!!! What a nice way to end my day…
Could someone please tell me what the elephants are eaing when they graze in the grass? Are they eating grass, or is there something else there to entice them? (Bugs?) Just curious — thanks in advance for an answer!
Moderator’s note: The keepers toss biscuits in the yard for the elephants to find and enjoy.
Thanks, Moderator! I figured there had to be something in there to tempt them!
WOW!!! What a treat to see the pool party tonight! I love it when the days get longer and warmer and the ellies go to play in the pool — even Swazi! They always look as if they are having the time of their lives in that water. It was great to see little Nisa in there with all the other kids… sigh…just too cute fir wirds!
Thanks to the cam operator once again!!! 
Swazi was the last to get out! When they were all in the pool I kept watching out for baby girl but she held her own! It sure drew a crowd… wonder if they were making noise? They were having a great time!
Loved watching the elephants in the water this evening! They looked like they were all having a great time.
An idea how long the elephant cam will be “fixed” in one spot during construction???
Moderator’s note: No, sorry!
Cam seems to be working fine now at 2:43 PST ..
Moderator’s note: Excellent! Good to know.
Yes, so I see ! YAY!!!
Good afternoon …. what a beautiful day out at the park.
What’s happening with construction? Enlarging the yard?
Thanks for the cam operators ….. my favorite time is when they are poolside. Really enjoying themselves.
Have a great afternoon. And thanks again for the great camera work.
Moderator’s note: We are preparing a new exhibit for tigers.
Anybody planning on visiting the Elephants should be warned that the upper area is completly unavailable do to construction. How long? How about a shuttle to the lower area, as some of us have trouble walking that far?Please keep us posted.
Safari Park responds: The upper elephant yard will not be accessible during construction of Tiger Trail, which is scheduled to be completed in Summer 2014. The Elephant Viewing Patio, which has views of both large elephant enclosures, is still accessible from Tembo Stadium and Kilima Point. For those with mobility challenges, the Safari Park’s courtesy shuttle always stops at Tembo Stadium.
Oh, my — this is important to know!!! I had no idea. Will have to make sure I plan trips accordingly since the elephants are my primary reason for visiting! Thanks for the heads-up!!!
which one is the upper yard? is that the one close to the large pool with the steps?
This has most likely already been considered, but I hope that the new tiger exhibit area is far enough away and buffered so that the ellies don’t have to constantly be exposed to the close smell of a predator.
Moderator’s note: No worries! They’ve no doubt smelled our tigers for years.
Sure wish there was audio to hear their trumpets!
When it is elephant treat time do keepers always feed the same elephant or do they move between elephants? I am not sure about volunteering for Msholo. That 5+ tonne fellow is so big even though he acts like a big softie.
Erin: This is a good question. Hope you get an answer. I have visited Safari Park several times to see the elephants. I’ve seen the keepers line up and call the elephants to them. They do so in order of dominance. It’s very interesting to see this. And you are right about Msholo — he’s a big softie! But he’s sill a HUGE animal you don’t want to mess with. I was privileged to see Mabu (father of almost all the calves there at Safari Park but now over in Tucson) up close and personal in a Behind the Scenes tour at Safari Park. I recall standing there looking up at him and could not believe how massive he was. But he was so gentle with the keeper who was telling us about him and giving him treats. If you get a chance to do this tour you can get a lot of your questions answered while getting an up-close look at them.
Erin
I have aske about the keepers and the elephants before and the answer I got was that the keepers rotate between the ellies, which makes sense so that all of the ellies will obey the commands of each keeper. Besides keepers don’t work 7 days a week so it also makes sense that when someone is off for a day the ellies need to be able to work with all the keepers. All the elephants have the capability to do harm but since they are well treated, fed well and enjoy the treats they get, I doubt they would hurt any of the keepers intentionally
Thanks Donna for the info. Ever since I found this site back in the summer of 2011, it has been so much to watch the elephants when I am at work. I put them on in the background and 12 hours fly by.
Deborah thanks for the tip regarding Behind the Scenes. I actually went on one last October. I got up and close to Ndula and Luti. Ndula looked like a giant and Luti at 2.5 years was huge. I was so enthralled to see them and they were acting all lovey dovey with each other I never asked a question. Then we were gone and off to see the baby Okapi.
Now I have to work overtime and go on a personal tour, and I will bring a paper with questions so I don’t forget to ask.
It really is fascinating when Moose is kept in the small yard overnight. Each time I happen to catch it from my end in the morning, it seems Ndula would like to go through the wires and give Moose a kick in the behind. I do not know if Moose is being elephant cheeky to his mother, but it looks like he is in trouble with her. It is everytime and extremely interesting to watch.
Musi is so tall. I feel like his back is at the same height as Ndula. Musi doesn’t have the heft of Msholo but being maybe 1/2 the age or less, I wonder how big Musi will grow.
when I check in Qinisa seems to follow Swazi more closely. but when Qinisa gets excited about something, she will run up ahead. also Qinisa is eating the hay more.
Musi is beginning his teen years so to be expected he would have some growth spurts. But I think his legs appear longer which may be his father’s genes but since he was a wild elephant we will never know for sure.
Msholo to me has put on weight since he arrived at here and I suppose that’s was to be expected since he’s now in his prime and head bull of the herd.
Qinisa to me is still the most independent calf of all them, even Mac didn’t wander away from Swazi as much as she does when he was her age. As to her eating, she’s at the age now where she should be starting to eat if I remember what has been said in regards to this with prior calves.
thanks for sharing. I was actually wondering about Msholo. lately when I see him, he is reminding of more of Mabu but when they were together, Mabu was the really gigantic one. so it seems like I’m not imagining Msholo getting bigger. although, how much larger could he grow? I also wonder if he will breed.
Msholo has mated with Dula last year but time will tell if that produces any offspring. If I recall correctly from what I had read on him, he didn’t mate with any elephants at his last home but then he wasn’t dominant bull there either.
I believe he’s put on a ton but that’s just a guess.. Since Mabu and Msholo’s age is just estimated being they were wild elephants. It’s hard to say for sure where they are but at least we know they are both in the age range of being able to reproduce..
today I was thinking that if Msholo doesn’t breed, then maybe Musi would become the next breeder when he comes of age. it should be OK I guess because he was born before joining this herd and most likely his father was not Mabu.
it’s probably something of a relief to the Safari Park not to have elephant births at the rate Mabu was capable. hah. he was truly a stud.
Wow! Cool pool party tonight. Looks like there’s fun “Early EVENING at Elephants” as well as in the mornings. Swazi looked as if she was definitely queen of the pool party! Thanks for zooming in and catching the action!
It was so funny to see the ‘adult’ Swazi actually playing in the pond, spreading her ears, spinning, splashing with her back feet, charging at figments, attacking that toy, and just generally acting silly. Such fun, and so entertaining!
What Fun Tonight!! Sparring, rolling, pushing, shoving, climbing on each other, climbing over the log (Kami….2x). Just a huge elephant party of the best kind. And then…..Swasi and Gani came along, and with a shake of Gani’s head the party was over. What joy it is to watch. I am completely head over heels for these majestic creatures. Thank you Safari Park!
Hi! Been on the elephantcam over the last few weeks to catch a sighting of Qinisa and missing her, but today, I finally saw her on the elliecam! Looks like she’s grown a little bit more, learning how to use her trunk, and even learned how to cross her back legs when she’s standing still. I watched her try real hard to pluck a few blades of grass out of the ground and eating them up! When did she start eating solid food?
Qinisa is still a cutie little ellie at 7 months old! Man, how time flies when kids grow up!
Chari Mercier
St. Pete, FL
I have a question as I try to learn how to identify the elephants on cam. Is Luti also missing a tusk (or broken and not visible) on the right side, in addition to Emanti and Kami ? Thank you.
I was watching Luti’s left side and comparing it to Ndula’s left side today. it appears that his tusk growth pattern is very similar to Ndula’s. his left tusk end kind of tucks back in under his trunk. if I’m remembering correctly, Ndula’s right tusk stays mostly beneath her trunk and so looks very small. I haven’t studied Luti’s right side but I’m guessing his right trunk may be growing out similarly to Ndula’s.
I never noticed Luti’s tusk but it wouldn’t surprise me if it turns out exactly like Ndula. Of all the elephants I find Luti is a spitting image of his mother. His body shape is the same and I find his tail hairs the same as well. Genetics is a funny game.
at treat time, I saw Ndula walk across the yard alone towards the keeper. sure enough after a couple of minutes Luti was running as best as he could in her direction. I did not believe he could stand to miss the treats.
yesterday Kami was a great baby sitter. in the morning, she laid down next to Qinisa. I’ve read this is a motion to engage an elephant in play. Qinisa tried to climb on her back and also laid down next to Kami. later they were hanging out down by the log at the large pool with steps. Kami appeared to be feeling pretty fine b/c she gave a couple helicopter trunk twirls.
seems like there is a camera malfunction. it is turning repetitively towards the right.
Thank you for your comments about Luti’s tusk. Seems most reasonable that if he did inherit Ndula’s tusk growth pattern, it would sometimes appear on cam that he had no right tusk at all.
exciting. they’ve raised the main pool water level by about one step. let the pool parties begin. (actually, it seems they’ve begun but I’ve been missing them)
there was a fun pool party around 7pm. Swazi and Khosi were the main stars. Neepo eventually joined in to climb on Khosi’s back. Khosi was enjoying her bath lying down so Neepo got to stand against her (on his hind legs) for quite some time.
Qinisa did not seem excited to get into the pool. although she did go up to examine the fully wet Khosi when she walked out of the pool. this makes me wonder whether Neepo has tried to climb on Qinisa in the pool.
there was a large crowd of lucky visitors who caught the late pool party.
one of the calves (Ingadze or Macembe) was climbing on the back of Emanti who did not seem to appreciate that one bit.
It was just the best wasnt it?! I saw the action as well, and wow Swazi sure had a great time. I couldn’t believe how long she played in the pool. She got out for a bit to check on the baby and then went back for more. Little Neepo up on Khosi was very sweet. One little guy, I couldn’t tell who it was, was running back and forth and kicking/splashing the water as he ran. So sweet. These early evenings antics are becoming a regular thing….or have they always been more active like this in the evenings and I’m now just becoming aware of it?
I don’t know if they have a conscious schedule. it seemed like other commenters had recently seen pool parties around that time so I remembered to look that day. in the past, I’ve seen particular elephants take a bath very early in the morning but I can’t say I’ve been up early enough to watch that recently.
one thing that struck me, when I first opened the video yesterday, all the calves were lined up around the steps (minus Luti). it would have made a great photo opportunity for zoo visitors. I was surprised so few of the calves went in the water to play though. earlier in the day it seemed like some of the adults’ bodies were wet so I guess they had a couple pool parties.
I missed the calf running and kicking water but that is really fun to watch. it is great to watch them have fun w/ water. it seems to bring out the child-like spirit.
depending on the time of year and the temperatures, the ellies seem to go into the pool between 4:30-7:30 PST. As to the early morning dips that’s ued to be Msholo and anyone he could entice to join him. Haven’t seen that lately but then he’s not usually out in the main yard with the rest of the girls that early these days
It would appear that Musi is not in good favor with Swazi or Msholo around 3 p.m. PST. showing too much interest in Umgani to the point the keepers separated her and her family to the one smaller yard and Msholo hanging outside of it Could it be perhaps that she is in estrus since the both Msholo and Musi seemed sexually aroused when they were all together in the one yard prior to the separation.
I saw Musi being quite persistant with Umgani as well. She was not having any of it. And then what I found interesting is how Swazi and her family and Umgani and her family all huddled together… around Musi! He did calm down quite a bit, but then after they separated he pursued Umgani once again. Fascinating!!
**I’m pretty certain that I’d pay a monthly service fee for sound/audio.
I agree Teresa though elephants make more of their sounds below what we humans can hear so not sure that we’d hear that much other than if they trumpeted or did an audible roar.
I see Msholo following Umngani again this morning.. and she’s avoiding h im as much as possible.. This behaviour really makes me think she’s in estrus but isn’t receptive to his advances…yet?
thanks for sharing. one of the past couple days I saw Musi following Umngani around but I thought it was his dominance games. I didn’t think about it being hormonal. do you know whether Musi is old enough to breed yet? I felt as though he was still too young.
I’ve read from a few different sources that 15 seems to be the age most sites agree upon for male elephants to begin breeding…in the wild…However they often breed earlier in zoos. So who knows what’s goin on. Hopefully a SP keeper will help us out with this one.
he’s only about 9 years old so that’s still a few years away. poor Umngani. and if Musi becomes the main breeding bull, that would set up a pretty interesting dynamic b/t him and Msholo. it will be intriguing how things develop. the elephants and their soap operas. I guess it’s all speculation for now.
It would appear that there are different views on sexual maturity on males, some say as early as 10 others say later, Yet everything I’ve read say males don’t reach puberty till 12-15, when they either leave the herd of their own will or are driven out by the females. However they all seem to say they don’t actually mate till around 30 when they are large and strong enough to compete with other mature males. I would think this applies more so to wild elephants. Now with Musi less than a year from the earliest age for sexual maturity, it might explain why Msholo isn’t happy with him around Umganiat times, particularly if she is in estrus. Maybe Musi is testing the waters so to speak in many areas.
Does anyone know why there is some kind of plastic wrap around the fencing above the two small enclosures? It may have been for some time but I just noticed it now.
Thanks for your help. : )
That’s to block off the area on the other side, where the Park is building a new tiger exhibit.
Oh, okay. Thank you very much! : )
the babysitters (Kami and Khosi) were in a very playful mood. laying down on the ground by the big log above the large pool and leaning against each other. they looked like they were making elephant sandwiches. Qinisa got caught up in the games and laid down and played with the babysitters.
I wonder if Kami is usually less interested in bathing or if she stays out of the water on purpose to watch over Qinisa while Swazi is having her bath time (actually more like spa time, the way she appears to relish it).
Is there a reason the Elephant cam was out for so long in the elephant area this afternoon? Also, it appears there are no park visitors, and the elephants are separated into different yards. Is everything ok? Thank you.
the ellies are regularly separated into different yards these days usually for the evening and nighttime I’ve noticed.. Could be due to Musi’s overexhuberance with Umngani of late. As well as Msholo is not usually with the rest of the herd over night either, however that particular separation of a bull has been in place for a over a year…
I would expect the cam had glitches as some do from time to time, just glad it’s back workng again. .. Thanks IT persons
yay. elephant cam back up.
Any new updates in the works?
the other day did anyone else catch Swazi purposely stop Qinisa from wandering off and coax her to nurse, I wasn’t sure if Swazi felt she hadn’t nursed enough and/or she needed her teats to be lightened of their milk..maybe both?
Nisa chasing bunnies… too funny!
Is THAT what that was all about!? I’m so glad to know. Thank you. It was just about the cutest thing ever.
Happy 3rd Birthday Mac !!!
don’t know when this started but it seems like in the late afternoons, the log down by the large pool is the horsing around area. the big girls (Khosi and Kami) seem to be there regularly playing with Qinisa. they pull grass, lie down, climb over the log…
earlier one of the calves was climbing on the back of Neepo (?). I’m not sure which calf but he had pretty good balance. while Neepo was trying to get away, the bigger calf was following along by walking on his hind legs and balancing his front on Neepo’s back. it must not be too fun to be the smallest male calf.
From what I’ve read and remember reading in the blogs, that behaviour of having their front legs up on the back of anotiher elephant is a way of showing dominance which they use when they are mature.. I expect the youngsters do it out of instinct though to them it probably seems like play at their age.
And a belated Happy Birthday to Mac.. hope he got some special treats for his 3rd bday
even Qinisa plays those dominance games with Neepo. but if you think about it, it’s not very practical for her b/c as an adult, when would she ever be able to use that behavior?? too bad she could not play dominance games of loud trumpeting. then as an adult she could fend off unwanted suitors. “No, I do not particularly want to mate with you at this time!!” then again she has chutzpah and maybe she could use those dominance moves as an adult. just saying.
I missed your birthday Mac so I’ll sing to you now…
Happy Birthday to you. Happy Birthday to you. Happy Birthday sweet Mac. Happy Birthday to you.
Khosi seems to have inherited Umngani’s tusk genes. I feel as though Khosi will eventually grow longer tusks than Umngani. however, I don’t think Ingadze inherited Umngani’s tusk genes (probably Mabu’s stubby tusk genes rather).
I wonder if an elephant’s tusks grow throughout its lifetime? I wonder if it is a pattern where tusk genes tend to be passed on from female to female; and from male to male. perhaps not because of Ndula and Luti’s similarities.
An elephants tusks continue to grow through out their lives and both parents contribute to determine the length, diameter, etc. of tusks in offspring. Since Ingazde is the first male offspring of Mabu and Umngani, I guess we’ll all have to see how his tusks develop as he grows up.
I would think that Musi may have inherited his father’s ability to grow long tusks, but since Dula and Musi seem to keep breaking their tusks for one reason or another. I guess we’ll have to see whether they can get the long again and keep them that way.
I agree that it would seem Musi takes after his father (who I assume is not Mabu). Musi is the only elephant who has fashion model genes (“tall, thin, and leggy” for an elephant at least). hah, he’s a real Zoolander.
re elephants’ tusk breakage, I have read or watched in the past that elephants in the wild take in minerals through the soil. I believe minerals can make the tusks stronger. that is my theory on why some elephants seem to grow longer tusks outside of captivity. (however, the zoo elephant will never be poached so that’s a tradeoff)
from a quick google search “elephants minerals soil”
www (dot) earthwatch (dot) org/pressreleases/newsandevents/2003_press_releases/02_07_2003_elephants_dirt.html
Spring hijinx! So if last Spring was productive, Ndula will produce Msholo’s first baby in 2014. If this morning is productive, Umngani will produce Msholo’s second calf in 2015! If not, once again it won’t be for lack of trying!
That behavior seems to still be going on. The whole herd was running around and it looked as if Umngani was running away from Msholo who seemed to be very interested in her. It sure will be fun to see more babies in a year or two.
Msholo mated with Dula last fall too, so I would think that last spring’s breeding wasn’t successful. So the anticipation of a new calf might be later in 2014 if at all .. As to Umngani, all we can do is hope
OK,thanks, I missed the repeat activity in the fall. I don’t think Msholo has been proven yet, so this should be interesting.
You’re welcome PatC.. He hadn’t sired any offspring at his last home but then he wasn’t the dominant bull there either. So time will tell if he can here or not.
love watching the ellies enjoy their breakfast this morning-really working hard for every morsel . beautiful, beautiful elephants.
Its 3:32 on the East Coast and I’ve been watching the entire herd running back and forth from the barn to the far end of the big yard. Not walking…running! This has happened a few times. Does anybody know what’s triggering this behavior? Thanks!
See my earlier post. Msholo interested in Umngani and the whole herd running after them. Pretty funny to watch.
Anyone know what type of branches are in the bundles that the elles have been getting occasionally of late. I see Swazi with one presently.
They look similiar to the ones that the forme herd mates get at Reid Park Zoo but I don’t know what they consist of either.
Monitor’s note: Our elephants are typically given acacia browse.
It looks like they are getting entire root balls with their branches. Harvest from the Tiger project? They are having a good time breaking stuff off of the clump.
I also recognize banana leaves/small trees in their fun bundles. Yummm…
I’ve seen the acacia before as well as the leaves.. but the branches had no leaves on them at all. That’s why I thought it might be something different for as an enrichment item.
Also wondered why the pool is so low in water. It’s nice to see them being able to almost completely submerge themselves. As well as have mud pools and hills of dirt to use
I read somewhere that they like to eat bark from trees as well. Have you noticed them stripping bark off of these branches?
Yes Heidi they do strip the bark off larger branhes when given them. Msholo is really good at it, he helped himself to quite a few branches surrounding the smaller yard last year and stripped them after eating all the leaves. Now the trees are just out of reach of his trunk but he still tries at times to get to them when he’s in that yard. particularly early mornings before breakfast is served
Qinisa seems to like the beet pulp (is that the right term?). in the past, the pregnant females (or new moms) seemed to seek out this food that looked a lot like small dirt mounds.
Beet pulp is like a enrichment treat to them since they don’t always get it. Most of the ellies like it and Qinisa is now at the age of trying new foods as they are given by following what the others eat in some cases.
does Qinisa not like taking baths? others have written that they’ve seen her in the large pool with Swazi. I haven’t seen her bathing there. seems like the large pool water level is lower. in the drinking fountain, there is a small pool of water. is this to get Qinisa comfortable with bathing or just a coincidence?
I haven’t seen her in the pool either yet, but then I’ve not caught any of them in the pool so far.this spring.
If it’s not too much trouble could we have an updated weight on Qinisa please.. thanks
Qinisa weighed 362 pounds on 11-12-2012. Average weight gain for any African elephant is 50 pounds per month. On 4-12-2013 (5 months) she should have gained 250 pounds for a total of 612 pounds. The lowest average weight gain for any of the elephants was 45 pounds per month and several have had over 55 pounds per month. Adult males are not included, just the mothers and youngsters. The girls, Khosi and Kami, born in 9-2006 and 9-2007, respectively, have also grown at the 50 pound a month average weight gain.
Thanks Don.. I should have remembered your equation for figuring their weights. I wonder if that would work for the adults or not too, though they seem to have stable weights except for Msholo who has put on weight since he arrived at the Park
It works for the adult females, as well.
I’m getting color bars at 10:22 a.m. Are others seeing the color bars?
Yup…
Does anyone know what is the work activity in the west yard? I can see some trucks and such, but I can’t see what is going on.
The only work that I’m aware of is the new tiger exhibit being built. unless I’ve missed seeing what you are Pat
No, not outside to the north where the tiger construction is taking place. It was activity inside the west yard (with the deep pool).
I noticed and wondered about that too Pat. Looked like one truck had a hydraulic ladder/cherry picker or something of the sort. Seems like there’s always something fun in store for these elephants. What a great thing.
Looks like utility trucks… sprinkler repair?
Good morning Zoo and Safari staff,
This past weekend I watched a special on HBO “An apology to Elephants”. It was a very sad and unfortunate story of how we as humans have treated these beautiful, wonderful and compasionate animals.
I have NEVER been nor will I EVER go to a circus.
Thank you for taking such wonderful care of our elephants. They deserve the best and we here in San Diego are so fortunate to have the Zoo and Safari Park. The space and care given to them is a testament to our commitment to their care. A member since 1995, I will forever be a member and supporter. Bless you all for the work you do every day.
Not sure what Ndula is up to at the moment. She is in the small yard with Luti and she has been lowering her head and pushing him around. Wonder if he is in trouble or she is just looking for some of her own me time. The funny thing is that each time it happens, Umngani’s clan goes over to the fence to see what is going on.
http://bcove.me/137dhlqi is the address for the naming of Emanti. I sent this to my sister in Florida and she loved it. It’s a good way to check your audio.
Thank you so very, very much!
Please delete this comment. Correct address was given on 5/13/2013.
Please delete this comment. Correct address was given on 5-10-2013.
Try this link: http://bcove.me/137dhlqi for the naming of Emanti, a great video done by Curtis Lehman. When I sent it by e-mail to my sister in Florida, she received it okay. Now the http:// is being left off when I post it as a comment.
Please delete this comment. Correct address was given on 5-10-2013.
The address types correctly and appears as if one could click on it and get it but when I click on it, it does not bring up the video.
Sometimes the keepers have to walk along the pathway to get from one area to another without stopping to give the elephants their treats.
The elephants can spot a keeper on that pathway I am sure at 100 paces and they always think they are going to get some goodies.
When it isn’t treat time, I wonder if the keepers say anything to the elephants . I couldn’t resist and would be saying something like good morning Swazi, or how are you Msholo?
Would the moderator have any idea about something like this, or would communication be mostly about training. The serious stuff..
Monitor’s note: The keepers talk to the elephants all the time, not just during treat time or training.
One clue to the ellies is whether the keepers are carrying a bucket or not. That bucket makes treats almost a sure bet. I also notice that if the keepers with buckets stand away and with their backs to the ellies, that seems to mean the dispenser is not going to produce anything right away. I have noticed that mostly if there is excited group confusion and a major isolation or sorting of position needs to take place. Looking at the keeper’s backs seems to settle things a little and reset the ellie minds.
For those of you who knew Gloria Rusta, photographer whose photos of Mabhu, Litsemba + calves and Lungile were used by Reid Park for its opening of its elephant exhibit, her memorial service is Saturday May 11 at 11 am at Merkley-Mitchell Mortuary, 3655 5th Avenue, San Diego. Gloria visited the Zoo and the Park at least 3 times a week and her photos at wildlifeimages.smugmug.com have delighted us all. She knew the names and behaviors of most of the animals at the Zoo and Park, and followed them when they were transferred to other zoos. We miss her very much.
My husband and I knew Gloria and often spoke with her at the park and through email. I believe I spoke with you also with Gloria one day when we were there last year. If there is a way for the moderator to give you my email, I would appreciate hearing from you. I had recently emailed Gloria and wondered why no response :- ( What a loss for everyone…
On Facebook, The Amboseli Trust for Elephants shared a link to a video from ElephantVoices. The title of the video is 10 ways to get down a muddy river bank. It is really cute and I think I have seen one or two of these moves from the herd in San Diego.
http://youtu.be/YEhJ_ch87FQ
Fantastic! This is a positive MUST SEE! The audio is also incredible! Elephants all sizes, all shapes, sliding down muddy banks, one right after another. Think I’ll watch it again, right now!
Watch it full screen and be careful how high you set the audio!
When are we getting a new update?
Solving conflict and growing up?
Episode I. This morning ~11:40, Umngani was having lunch with her two sons by her side, Msholo was behind her about two elephant lengths away working on his pile of hey and Ndlula was about same distance behind her with ~45 degree to the right side. Here came Moose, moving directly towards her and sticked his trunk in her mouth quickly and forcefully. She cautiously but firmly moved backwards a couple of steps, Moose didn’t want to take it and he forcefully gave Umngani couple of light head-on pushes. Suddenly Moose appeared by Umngani’s side but he did not show any aggressive sign towards Moose. It appeared that he did not even looked at him but just comforted Umngani with couple of his light trunk touches. Moose then turned around walked away with his head up and down on the same big stride just like the way he came. From somewhere, Koshi walked towards her mom and they had couple of trunk exchanges. Did she see what just happened and was trying to comfort her mom?
Episode II. I thought, ok, good, Umngani can have some peace now but wait, Ndlula and Moose suddenly appeared in the cam range and moving in sync towards Umngani and Msholo who were still standing side by side with their back exposed to Moose and his mom. Now it’s two to two, what’s going to happen? I was a little worried. As the teenager and his mom closed in, Moose had his truck slightly touched inside his mom’s mouth, was he having discussion with his mom, or just seeking reassurance? With Msholo by her side, Umngani gave couple of swing kick gestures towards Ndlula with her right hind leg. Ok, nothing happened, Ndlula and her son moved away. Interestingly, in a second, you see Msholo and Ndlula was having some trunk mouth exchanges, were they having adult conversation or Msholo was giving Ndlula some advices?
Episode III. After a while, cam showed Moose got to Umngani again, he was standing by Umngani and here came Swazi from behind and she gave Moose couple of forceful trunk swing kicks and Moose moved away quickly. No this is not done yet, about couple of minutes later, Moose and Umngani were in the cam range again and Moose gave Umngani a forceful push on her left butt. This time, Umngani did not move backwards but turn around facing Moose and with her head stiff and ears slight flared. It looked like Moose might want to do something but then he took a quick peek at Msholo who is about 1.5 elephant lengths away and then turn around and moved away. Msholo did not look back at Moose though.
Episode IV. Now it’s a bit over 1 hour, Umngani has all her kids around as usual and Msholo is one or two elephant lengths away. Here came Moose approaching her from her left side but his stride is slower this time. His trunk approached her mouth, also with gentle motion and seems more respectful this time. Now Umngani allowed it to stay there for a little while and then walked forward. Moose did not insist and pursue this time and instead turn his trunk to work on the grass by his feet. Msholo nearby was calm and appeared to mind his own business as if nothing unusual happened. Did Moose finally learn his manner, a nice elephant gentleman like Msholo? Msholo and Umngani’s courtship continues. Umngani enjoys Msholos’ gentle touch but not accepting further advances. Is this part of courtship or does she need some rest from child bearing?
Just tuned in tonight and it looks like Khosi knocked off her left tusk. Something seems to be hanging there but I do not see anything else.
Safari Park responds: Our young African elephant, Khosi, has broken a tusk and is being treated for this by our animal care staff and veterinarians. African elephants sometimes break tusks during play or foraging activities, and this is an occurrence that is seen in wild herds as well as with elephants in zoological settings.
Those African elephants are so rough and tumble. I wish they would slow down with their tusk escapades, since their tusks help me recognize their little faces. Thanks to the Safari Park for the update. It is nice to know I wasn’t dreaming.
OK, now I know why I wasn’t seeing Khosi too much. I wondered what had happened too her. Our poor spunky girl!!!
Cam operator, thank for the good view of Khosi minus her left tusk, as mentioned above. She was touching that area with her trunk because it probably still feels strange, just like when we humans lose a tooth. Poor little girl! Thank goodness for excellent vet treatment and wonderful keepers.
Mother-daughter time and naughty brothers
Yesterday ~5:30 pm, Umngani and her daughter Khosi were having a hey meal together, they were standing in a position like we would sit across a table with one another. The mother was on the left and the daughter on the right side. After a little while, Umngani walked couple of steps towards Khosi and touched Khosi’s forehead/face/trunk with her own forehead/face/trunk as if to say, hey sweety, are you doing, and then Khosi stick her trunk in her mother’s mouth as if to say, I am fine, thanks you. I was just wondering where were the two little brothers, 3 years old Ingadze and 1.5 years old Neepo. Suddenly, in the back about couple of feet away, These two brothers running in sync across the screen from the left to the right with Neepo running in the front carrying Igadze’s front legs on his little back. Just a split second, they were out of the screen. After a little while, these two boys appeared in the back again with Neepo still running in the front with Ugadze’s front legs still glued on his back except this time they appeared at the right side and shoot over to the left side across the screen. Umngani and Khosi were not disturbed and still calmly having their hey. Feels like a backyard scene in a leisure afternoon, the boys do the boys’ thing and the girls do the girls thing.
After a little while, Umngani stick her trunk in Khosi’s trunk as if said something and then Khosi moved away and left Umngani stay there continue having her hey. Wondering whether 6 years old Khosi was feeling a bit low because she just knocked out her left tusk couple days ago. Now every time her trunk pick up hey and she would swing it across her left trunk side where her left tusk used to be. She also seemed a bit sloppy in handling the hey. She did not do trunk tangling motion which elephant normally do to get rid of any dirt. This is especially interesting when you see how Msholo dine. He would pick up very small amount of hey, considering what a gigantic trunk he has and what big meal he has to have, and then dangling his trunk meticulously and before sending the hey to his mouth. In contrast, Khosi would pick up quite large amount of hey, without the dangling motion to try to get rid of any dirt, and send the hey directly to her mouth. Often some hey fell off her mouth. Sometimes she would pick up some hey and toss them away without sending them to her mouth.
Hey, you! Animals eat HAY!
oops, sorry, I should have done some proofreading. Thanks for pointing it out
. Normally I know hay and hey but somehow I mistakenly wrote hey here.
Looked like Khosi just threw up… could she be in pain and nauseated because of her absent tusk?
Is Khosi okay? She seems depressed or in pain. She’s hanging around with her mother and little brothers more than usual. She seems to be getting a lot of sympathy from them. She often touches the empty spot where her left tusk used to be. Will her tusk grow back? She may feel sad that she won’t be as attractive with only one tusk. Khosi is my favorite in the herd so I’m concerned about her and sad that she seems to be moping around instead of her usual playful self.
It looks like there is a tiny patch of secretion on Khosi’s left temporal gland, this could occur when elephant is under stress. It’s not that obvious, you’ll have to look really closely to see it.
Thanks, Aura. I hadn’t noticed that secretion. I’ll bet she’s in pain and also stressed because she can’t balance the hay on both tusks as she usually does. Maybe the moderator or the keepers will tell us more about Khosi later on.
I watched Khosi for about and hour and she just stands with her trunk on the ground… not eating… shaking her head and rubbing her right side of face… something may be going on and trust the keepers are watching her too.
Khosi had a dental procedure on May 9 to get rid of any possible infection and cap the broken tusk. After procedures such as this there is sometimes drainage in the area.
Thank you for your quick response! We love the ellies and worry when we observe a change in behavior.
Thank you for your response and I’m glad to hear that Khosi is doing better today. Dental work is never any fun.
thank you. good to know.
Thanks so much for the update. Sure hope Khosi heals well and quickly — she’s such a spunky ellie — just love watching her when she’s feeling up to par, especially when she gets in the pool Guess it will be a while before she can do that. Seems like elephants are very hard on their trunks! Poor things… I really love watching them. Thanks for all your care and the wonderful cam, Safari Park!
It is just after 5 in California and it appears the herd is split into two separate yards. Since the Safari Park takes a lot of notes when elephants are born, does the Park do any testing for that low frequency communication that elephants use? Curious to know if they would be using that type of communication in this type of example to keep tabs on their herd mates. Who knows if they realize they are in the next yard. It sounds like a scientific type of research project.
I watched the full episode Echo: An Elephant to Remember a while ago on YouTube and then it was taken down. Couple of minutes ago, I was searching for information about elephant’s temporal gland and to my pleasant surprise, I found that this full episode (53 minutes) is available now on PBS here (www (dot) pbs.org/wnet/nature/episodes/echo-an-elephant-to-remember/video-full-episode/5920/). Check it out if you havn’t, and I am going to watch it again.
Echo is a African elephant matriarch and she and her family had been observed by Cynthia Moss and her team for 36 years. Cynthia Moss, a California native I believe, left her reporter job with Newsweek and moved to Africa to be a full time elephant watcher in 1968 after a trip in Africa.
Echo passed away in 2009 of natural causes at the age of 65..
just saw Khosi missing her tusk. aww, poor girl. is she without pain? sounds and looks like the whole tusk got broken off.
Khosi seems much better today… may have been anesthesia hang over
]
Been on the elliecam off and on over the last few weeks to try and catch Qinisa to see how she’s doing and growing. Haven’t seen her much lately. But, I’ll try to get on the cam to get a good look at her a little more often.
We have not had a really good update about the ellies in a long time since February, 2013. Would like to know about Qinisa and how she’s been doing lately, would like to know if any of the moms are pregnant again, and what’s going on at Elephant Odyssey. Hope to see new updates real soon–ASAP!
Chari Mercier
St. Pete, FL
If you want to see the best video ever shown at the park, the Naming of Emanti, send an e-mail to a friend with this address: http://bcove.me/137dhlqi Next, bring up the copy of the e-mail sent, and click on the above, which should be in purple, and you will see this very precious video.
Monitor’s note: Try this link: http://bcove.me/fahc7i1p
Thank you so very, very much! This works beautifully!
Any special food treats on the menu tomorrow for the 4 legged mothers at the Safari Park?
Happy 3rd Birthday, Emanti!!
Watch his naming video. It’s great. Link is given on 5-10-2013 above!
Happy Mother’s Day to all the wonderful mommy ellies!
Also…
Happy Birthday to you. Happy Birthday to you. Happy Birthday dear sweet Emanti. Happy Birthday to you!
Nice to see sweet Khosi early this morning on the cam — have been missing her. Do we know how she broke her tusk? Does the tusk continue to grow even when broken off?
Monitor’s note: The tusk will grow back.
Thank you for the answer — big sigh of relief!
Is there is a problem with the swimming pool? Water level has been very low for at least a couple of weeks and also it often has been totally empty all day. Appears that the elephants have been wondering about this as well.
Thank you.
Yes, I was wondering whether the elephants might be worrying that drought season is coming and trying to figure out where else they could find big water hole…:)
We know the elephants are given several types of grasses/hay, branches for it’s bark and herbivore biscuits for some of their mineral/vitamins needs. But are they ever given vegetables/fruits as well as access to salt blocks?
Today, May 19, 2013, I saw the elephants have a mini pool party. The small group of elephants had a great time, and it drew a large visitor crowd. The water was high enough so that the youngest male elephant could submerge himself. However,about two hours later, the level of the water in the pool had lowered to the point it was no more than a puddle under the feet of the elephants trying to wet themselves. What is the problem with the pool and the water levels?”
I know it is a lot to ask because it is a whole lot of extra work, but I was hoping that all of us that enjoy the elephant cam could get a video of our favourite animals. I don’t know what the video could be on, but I once asked if the elephants ever got hosed down because they toss everything on themselves. I am just throwing out that as an example of something that would be fun to see. If the staff at the Safari Park ever had a moment or two free maybe just maybe……
Erin I wondered too if the ellies ever got a good hosing off but considering they are in the yards most of the time and have access to the pools (when they have enough water in them to wash off with) I would think not likely since this herd is suppose to resemble as much as possible one in the wild where they do their own washing, mud baths, etc.
I have seen where other zoos wash their ellies daily but those are mostly Asian ellies.
Today May 21,2013 Swazi lay down two times and seems rather without energy. How does the zoo monitor events like this, and is there a number to call in case of an emergency seen on the cam? thanks. Any information would be greatly appreciated.
I also had observed that after nursing Nisa, Swazi stood for quite a while just fidgeting around in place. Then she laid down on the grass and appeared fairly motionless at first. Eventually she got back to her feet as the cam panned to another view. When it panned back, Swazi was lying down again. She slowly got up and eventually walked out of view slowly, after Nisa had scurried off in another direction.
Where’s Don… he seems to know everything about the ellies and has been such a source of information… I’ve been watching them for some time and have never seen Swazi lay down unless it’s in the barn at night and we don’t see them. Hopefully she is ok.
Swazi is definitly very sick. Have tried calling Escondido Dispatch, the San Diego Zoo, the Safari Park. It is incredible that no help is being given to her and there is no emergency number to contact the keepers with.
I am encouraged that the webcam operator is following her… maybe help is on the way… hopefully.
I called police department and got the phone number of the security at the park. The security phone is busy and I’ll try again a little later… They have night shift and hope this has been reported to the relevant party.
I saw Swazi pooped after she gets up ~ 6:20. The poop seems not as solid as usual. She waited for a little while but no more coming out and also she did not urinate at all. They normally do both at the same time. It seems that she was a bit surprised also.
Qunisa was busy digging the fresh grass and for quite while did not go to Swazi for nursing. Wondering whether Swazi’s milk might taste a bit different or whether Qunisa should be fed with some milk from other resources.
I saw Nisa nurse for a very long time on both sides several times. I am also concerned if there is enough milk, especially if Mom is sick. Thank you for also trying to contact someone.
It does seem that Qunisa spent longer time than usual in digging on the fresh grass between ~5:30 – 6:25. Maybe she is hungry. She may have started doing that earlier. Normally she doesn’t seem to spend such long time in doing one thing.
I mean milk specifically prepared for elephant baby, not any other source of milk which may not be good for elephant’s stomach.
On cam I observed Swazi’s loose stools and also her apparent inability to urinate. Also !Qinisa appeared to nurse a few times for fairly prolonged periods during this entire episode. Also maybe she was not getting enough milk. I hope your phone calls to park security will spark some action to attend to Swazi.
tried to call the security three times so far, each time only got 3 busy beep then got disconnected. Wondering whether this is because I am using my cell phone. Here is the number for the security at the Safari Park, 769-802-8301, can someone who has landline phone, try to give it a try? thanks.
Elephants often sleep on their sides, especially when they feel comfortable enough. Usually, there is another elephant standing nearby to watch over the sleeping one. If you go far enough back in the blogs, there is a comment that Swazi, incidentally, will sleep on her side. Since we never get to see what happens after dark, we don’t know that this is what they do.
Once, I caught the live feed at Reed Zoo, where Mabulane was asleep on his side inside one of their night pens.
I’m confident that nothing is wrong with Swazi. We just never get to see them nap (the adults, that is).
Considering the gravity of the concern yesterday, May 21, 2013, I would have expected a comment of some sort by now from the Safari Park. The question here is, how commited is the park to 24 hour animal care? And could a hotline be setup for concerns regarding all the creatures on cam at the zoo? I understand the fear the zoo might have of foolish requests or demands, but not being able to reach someone to report an emergency, not even throuhh the non-emergency number of the Escondido Police Department, sounds extremely detached on the zoo’s part.
All day yesterday while the staff was in and, so far, all day today, Swazi has looked normal to us. Keepers report that nothing looks unusual with all the stools in the east main yard, where Swazi was all evening long.
Yesterday morning, Ndlula’s behavior suggested that she was either colicky or gaseous, because she laid down numerous times and got back up after extensive flatulence on her part. So perhaps Swazi had a similar bout or maybe it was Ndlula all along that you were observing? Either way, all’s quite on the western front!
Thank you Curtis… it was definitely Swazi as Nisa was close and nursed a few times in between her laying down and getting up at least 4 times. Colic may be the explanation, but it was alarming to us watchers from 5-7pm. and had nothing to compare it to. She does look much better today! Thank you again…
Thanks Curtis for your explanation and sorry for the false alarm. I was thinking that keepers probably could not have have their eyes on every elephant every minute and it is also after hours. Anyway, it’s better to be careful than be sorry.
I also think it is Swazi, after she gets up at 6:20 pm, she walked a few steps towards Nisa’s direction and had a very good long look at her, as if to see whether she is ok. Nisa was busy digging the fresh grass in the neighboring patch just by where she lied down. It still seems strange to me that she did not urinate.
I go to Safari Park as frequently as 150 times a year, specifically to watch the elephants. In all that time, when I have noticed what I consider to be an “issue” and I mention this to the trainers/keepers, they are already aware and have a plan in place to resolve it. The trainers/keepers are outstanding and incredibly alert to any problem with the elephants. Many of you don’t have the opportunity to see this, but I hope you can tell from the cam how contented and well adjusted these elephants are, and that is a result of the care they receive from the trainers/keepers.
Yes, it most definitely was Swazi involved throughout the entire events. Her stool was loose although not watery . So it could have dried overnight and then appeared to be normal by morning. Also there was an apparent inability to urinate upon two or three attempts. But great that all is well with her today .
.
I suspect that partly due to the distance traveled from ‘release’ to ‘destination’, loose stool would be flatter and more spread out than the normal production, and it would retain that shape the next day, even when dried out.
It is 1629 out in California and the camera operator has a great shot of Khosi snoozing. She has her trunk hanging like a wet noodle.
Even though she is sleeping there is a lot of movement. Her tail wags, her ears flap,her feet shuffle and her trunk swings or twirls until it gets placed like a wet noodle again.
Has anyone ever seen a show on elephants or been at the Safari Park and asked if these are involuntary movements and she stays asleep during them, or are the elephants mostly micro sleeping and she is awake when she does these movements.
Just an interesting things to know.
I would think a lot of the actions are done involuntary without being awake. tail wags to move insects off the delicate skin and ears flapping to keep the body cool. Movement would be like any animal including humans, changing position when asleep to be more comfortable. With elephants sleeping so little to begin with when they are adults, it might just be more noticeable at times.
That was one fantastic pool party that just got over. There were at least 7 elephants, including Swazi and Qinisa. I was watching for about 15 minutes and noticed that Swazi alternated laying first on one side and then on the other which she did many, many times. Thanks camera operator for catching all the action!
I was watching too, and was thankful for the camera operator who captured all the fun.
I noticed that Khosi was near the edge of the pool but never went in to join the others. It made me wonder if she may have broken her tusk on the cement while playing in the water and feared going in again. Can the keepers report where the broken tusk was found in the yard?
Hi Don… was asking about you last week. The ellies were having a bang up Memorial Day pool party last night. My compliments to the cam operator as well!
I happened to see the fun last night. First time I saw Qinisa in the water. It was funny when Swazi joined the party. All the smaller elephants freeze waiting to see if she gives the go ahead to continue. I thought Qinisa would go to her mother but she stayed to play with the crowd.
Was just very lucky last night. It appeared that Qinisa and all the smaller ones were having a great time and continued to do so even after Swazi came into the pool. The little Princess was having a great time being independent and playing with the other little ones rather than with Mom. Everyone left the pool when Mom decided to leave, though.
I have read several comments about Khosi’s tusk but there seem to be as many versions as there are people writing comments.
Hi to Gram, Pat, and Erin. It’s been a while since I have seen something as memorable as last night.
Ahh, but the kiddies snuck back in when Swazi wasn’t looking! Almost like they broke loose from her spell! I imagine them trying to be quiet with their giggling and poking as they made a run for it. They weren’t in there for long though.
Is there any way that the camera can focused closer on the elephants when they are in the pond? We love watching them play and bathe, but it’s very hard to see them anymore because we just don’t see the cameras zoom to that area anymore.
Thank you for your response and mostly for all you do for these gentle giants that we love so much.
Sincerely, Gloria Sapp
The the three adult females just circled all the younger elephants; makes me wonder if a lion roared from another area nearby…
Seemingly quite intelligent move to “corral” babies in the transition area between the two yards until the adults assessed it was safe to move out. So interesting to observe…. Thanks to the camera operator who was trying to track the behavior and figure the reason for it…
I saw these Sunday events as you describe. Also similar actions occurred during early evening on Monday. At one point Swazi was aggressively pushing around the logs by the stone structure at the end of cam yard. Nisa seemed very confused throughout. Several times during the evening, Umngani and youngsters huddled together providing a protective circle around Nisa. I am wondering if any recent seismic activity in the surrounding area may account in some way for this behavior ?
Don’t know of any recent seismic activity in the San Diego area.
Have you ever noticed when you watch documentaries on elephants, or look at images of them on the internet, a white egret always seems to be hitching a ride on the back of an elephant.
I’ve noticed California birds don’t seem to do the same. I’ve seen them in the yard and they are walking around, but never seem to piggyback on an elephant.
Silly post for sure, but just a curious observation.
Hi Erin,
I like to watch those as well, it just look so interesting… I think in the wild, egret eats the insects stirred up by the elephants and I guess they ride on elephant’s back when they are tired.
It does not look like there are much insects stirred up in the yard
I believe that the egrets are actually wild and not back yet for this year. However you are right they don’t seem to pay any attention to the backs of the elephants.
Poor Luti. At least I think it is Luti. He seems to have hurt his left front leg. He is walking very funny this morning.
I know your all busy, but when are we likely to get a new update, the last one was posted in February?
Thanks
Been staring at the gates for at least 3 hours… maybe next shift will move cam to upper yard… I think there’s someone having a pool party and we’re not invited
}
… never mind… we’re on the move… yippee
Ok… go back to the gate. Nisa just laid down on a fresh pile of poo and was really enjoying herself. Our little princess…
Good grief… I hate to be a bother… but could the cam operator who is getting some fantastic close ups of polar bear Chinook, which I appreciate because we’re usually staring at a piece of driftwood, find the elephants. Thanks!!!
Thank you… Great Pool Party!!! Swazi was having a fantastic time too…
Umngani and her kids are posing for a photographer in a pink shirt. Umngani is actually posing like a model, moving around to show her best features. So cute!
I know we keep asking about how to tell the ellies apart from each other, but why does it look like Kami has “paint” on her back?…
6/14 10:15 a.m. I saw a wresting match between 1 smaller, 1 larger elephant (no I cant tell who is who) and large one went down. Is all OK? Was this play?
I got distracted and about 5 minutes later another smallish elephant was on ground but not the same one as before. I don’t think I’ve seen so many elephants on their sides before.
Thanks for the cams, wish I could better tell them apart.
I have read on http://www.sheldrickwildlifetrust.org that older elephants will lie on their sides to allow the younger ones to climb onto them, sort of allowing them a “victory.” Although we don’t often see it here, elephants do sleep on their sides when they feel safe enough to do so. At http://www.dierenparkamersfoort.nl, you can see a live camera of their Asian elephants; they sleep on their sides every night. I realize, here, we have African elephants, but I don’t think that their physiology is so different that they don’t also sleep on their sides. I’ve seen the Reid Park elephant cam and have seen Mahbulane (African) asleep on his side for a long period of time one night. If you view the live cam at http://www.elephants.com, you can see really old Asian female elephants often napping on their sides during the day; the two Africans they have there are not often visible for the trees to see if they nap as well. I’ve come to believe that it is a misconception that there is something automatically wrong with an elephant that is lying on its side.
The original trunk wrestling was between Msholo (huge) and Musi (tall, but huge only in his mind). Msholo often goes down on his front knees or stands down hill to trunk wrestle with Musi who is only about half the weight of Msholo. It was pretty cute that even though he went over on his side, the wrestling mostly continued. Musi really enjoys sparring with ‘the big guy’, and Msholo appears to be about the only one willing to take him on. Msholo has 2 smallish tusks spread very wide apart, and Musi has a longer right tusk and a growing left tusk.
Luti seems to be picking on everyone this morning… even Moose. Wonder what he weighs now. He’s almost as big as Kami. Nisa likes Emanti… he’s small and sensitive. But her best “friend” is Neepo, who’s in the other field.
He really was fired up this morning. He even was chasing Qinisa around a few times. Although one time he did it too close to Swazi and she turned around and walked a few steps and he stopped dead, although when Qinisa moved he moved and tried again. I want to be in charge like Swazi. It must be a blast to have everyone listen to you all the time.
Sometimes all Swazi has to do is give you a look that sys” Enough!” She’s quite the regal matriarch! Nisa is one lucky girl… so funny when she mimics her Mom’s moves.