San Diego Zoo's Brand New Baby Elephant Stays Cool
June 04, 2010
San Diego Zoo's yet unnamed elephant calf and his mother, Umoya, were photographed cooling down at a waterhole just yesterday. After a slow start, the outlook for the calf is now upbeat. He was healthy and nursing after his birth on May 12, but a medical condition with his mother caused him to lose rather than gain weight. Umoya is now recovering, which means the 229-pound calf is too. He is the third calf born at the Wild Animal Park in 2010 and is interacting with the two other male elephant calves daily.
Photo Credits: Ken Bohn, San Diego Zoo's Wild Animal Park
There are now eight youngsters in the 16-member African elephant herd, ranging from 3 weeks to 6 years old. Several of them were seen playing in the waterhole on Thursday. To celebrate the success of this elephant herd, the Park is highlighting elephants during African Summer Festival, which runs June 19 through Sept. 6. Visit the elephant exhibit at 11 a.m. daily to watch the elephants search the 3-acre habitat seeking goodies hidden in the grass, trees or rocks. Other activities include acrobats, storytellers, live drum bands, bead working, a new animal show and Robert, the digital talking zebra.