UPDATE! Prague Zoo's Baby Elephant Learning to Use Trunk
March 05, 2013
On February 11, Prague Zoo in the Czech Republic welcomed an Indian Elephant calf, which we originally covered a few weeks back. Now 23 days old, the calf continues to grow stronger and more independant under the watchful eye of mom, Donna.
While the calf builds relationships with the others in the herd and explores her habitat (sometimes on still-awkward legs), Donna is always close-by to provide help and encouragement with a little nudge from her trunk. Speaking of trunks, the baby has begun learning to use her own, following the lead of Mom and others. The calf is realizing it can be used to put things in her mouth, to communicate, and to act as a brace if she's unsteady or clamboring up from the ground. She gets exhausted running around with big sister Tonya; afterward she nurses and promptly curls up for a nap.
Photo Credit: Tomas Adamec, Prague Zoo
Video of the birth and the calf's first days of life