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Spot the Differences Between Asian and African Elephants!

PetSugar — Tue, 22 Sep 2009 15:00:03 -0700

Happy Elephant Appreciation Day! In order to celebrate both Asian and African elephants, see if you can tell which facts go with which pachy species.

Question 1 of 6

Which type of elephant has smaller ears?

Luk Chai Dribbles His Soccer-Playing Pachy Self Into My Heart

PetSugar — Thu, 27 Aug 2009 11:50:41 -0700

A soccer playing elephant?! Now I've heard of everything. Although his version is more of a dribble, dribble, smush, Luk Chai looks rather cute no matter what he's doing.

This baby Asian Elephant was born last month at Sydney's Taronga Zoo - home to another adoro pachyderm, hippo Monifa - and is already drawing quite the crowds. Keepers have equipped the babe with this ginormous soccer ball, but he needs a bit more practice to get the hang of the game. World Cup 2010 for Australia, perhaps?

Check out his kicking and climbing skills, along with bonus rope work and flower snacks, when you read more.

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Step, Step, Stumble For Taronga's Wacky Pachy

PetSugar — Wed, 08 Jul 2009 06:00:31 -0700

It's official - I'm a fan of the Taronga Zoo's latest babe. Born on the Fourth of July (literally), the unnamed calf is already stumbling around his enclosure. Since the temps in Sydney have been averaging in the 50s, and he's just a few days old, he'll remain inside a special heated barn until he can go to the zoo's Wild Asia public display with parents, aunties and pals. If you're still lacking inspiration to name this newbie, check out the pictures of him as he learns to walk.

I can think of a couple adjectives to describe this pachyderm so see for yourself and read more.

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Hi There, Baby Elephant! What Shall We Call You?

PetSugar — Mon, 06 Jul 2009 11:30:59 -0700

Born to a former Bangkok street elephant, Thong Dee (and dad, Gung), this two-day-old babe is the first native-born elephant in Australia! Already weighing in at 220 pounds, all he's lacking is a name.

For his historic birth, Sydney's Taronga Zoo is offering a naming contest for the little one. First off, no monikers that are too close to his parents or aunties' (Porntip, Pak Boon or Tong Ma) names and pick one that suggests joy or happiness. To make it easier to come up with a native Thai name, they've got a translator website . . . which is crazy addictive (as I've just spent quite a while trying to come up with a clever suggestion).

See more piccys of the tiny calf below!

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World Watches Birth and First Steps of Elephant Via Internet

PetSugar — Fri, 22 May 2009 06:00:48 -0700

I love baby elephants! Let's be honest here, I'm a fan of all baby animals, and can usually snuff out seriously adoro photos of newborns somewhere on the Internet. However, I normally don't catch the actual birth of one. That's exactly what happened in Belgium, where zookeepers broadcast the birth of an elephant online. You may not think many people would want to see a live birth (queasy stomachs especially), but check this out: over one million people tuned in, and after 38 hours of labor, welcomed baby Kai-Mook to the world!

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Weighing in at over 200 pounds, Kai-Mook finally took her first steps this week, and let me tell you, I'd be hard pressed to find anything sweeter than this. Check out the action in the MSNBC video above. Now everyone say "Awwwwww!"

What's Your Take: Where Should Jenny Go Now?

PetSugar — Wed, 23 Jul 2008 07:00:27 -0700

I know zoos are a tough topic for animal lovers, especially for large roaming mammals who need plenty of room to wander. Back in May when KeKe the African Elephant died, it was only 15 minutes before the first fax came in about Dallas Zoo's remaining elephant, Jenny, and where should she go now that her BFF was gone.

Although it's been decided she's going to Africam, a safari park near Puebla, Mexico, others (including "In Defense of Animals" and "Concerned Citizens for Jenny") want her to be sent to Tennessee's Elephant Sanctuary instead.

Now, it's part of American Zoological Association (AZA) standards that these herding animals be placed with at least one other of their same species for companionship, and they prefer other accredited facilities – while the park in Mexico is, the sanctuary is not (although a co-founder says they have not sought accreditation). I'm not sure what to think – what's your stand on this sad situation?

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Still Checking Out the Circus?

PetSugar — Tue, 17 Jun 2008 00:30:01 -0700

Going to the circus when I was a kid was as American as apple pie – its talented animals and trapeze artists made a stop nearby almost every Summer. Now that I'm older (and wiser), I know that many of these animals live in deplorable conditions so when I read about the elephant who escaped from his big top duties and was found wandering into someone's Kansas yard, I was kind of surprised – there are traveling circuses still in operation?

I guess I just assumed they went the way of the dinosaur, but when I checked out the Ringling Brothers website, they have a whole slew of cities and dates for this year's shows! Places like Phoenix, San Diego, and Las Vegas! Do you still go to the circus when it hits your town?

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Do Elephants Like "Jazz Blue"?

PetSugar — Mon, 12 May 2008 03:00:15 -0700

We've had a few elephant experiences of our own recently here on PetSugar, from going gaga over hours-old babies to learning that the pachyderms' ancestors were water dwelling creatures! So, to add another entry into the elephant file, I'll share with you this cool story. The other day, a friend of mine sent me this pic of an elephant giving two tourists visiting the Kruger National Park in South Africa a good rattle. His pal – who actually lives in the park – had an up close and personal experience with an elephant of his own just a few months before. Strangely enough, their cars were the same color! So he asked me:

"Some months ago we were in the Park with friends in their Kombi (van), and got approached by an elephant cow who gave us a nerve-rattlingly close inspection, so we sympathize with these two. Interestingly, the Kombi was the same color as this car! Do elephants like "Jazz blue"!?"

Well, you know I just had to find out the answer! To see what I dug up, just read more.

Apparently, elephants are colorblind! Studies have shown that the big guys and colorblind humans have identical sets of visual pigments, which means they can see blue and yellow, while reds and greens are not distinguishable. So that might be the reason why the elephants in this case were attracted to the "Jazz Blue" color of the cars! Who knew?!

This Baby Elephant Is Only 33 Hours Old!

PetSugar — Thu, 08 May 2008 12:45:10 -0700

We've had a crazy week of pachyderm births from the hippos to rhinos to this lil fella. Check out the yet-unnamed male newborn elephant at a zoo in Hanover, Germany . . . umm, seriously, what's in the water at the zoos in this country? Khaing Hnin Hnin delivered this baby on May 7 and he's only 33 hours old at the time of these photos! The mommy actually gave birth au natural – without the help of zookeepers – and already seems comfy watching over her new one and helping him eat. Soooo cute. See them close up when you read more.

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The Scoop: Ancient Elephants Lived in Water!

PetSugar — Thu, 17 Apr 2008 14:00:35 -0700

An ancient relative of the modern elephant may have lived in an aquatic environment. Fossilized teeth were found embedded in a rock in northern Egypt's Faiyum region, which is known to have been a coastal system that changed often from swamp to river and back again.

Little did I know that elephants share a common ancestor with manatees and other aquatic animals, so it makes sense that they would have some sort of water connection. Although the teeth that were found indicate that the ancient animals didn't quite look like we know them today – minus the recognizable trunk and much much smaller in stature (about three feet tall at the shoulder) – this creature would have eaten the freshwater plants that grew in the area. "Essentially it's a hippo-like mode of life. That's the closest animal that we can think of today," said Alexander Liu of Oxford University's department of earth sciences, lead author of recent research on the teeth. No wonder elephants are such good swimmers!

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