Little Elephant Brings Great Joy to Vienna's Schönbrunn Zoo

The little elephant at Vienna's Schönbrunn Zoo enchants visitors – and also its herd. "By now, the elephant offspring is together with the entire herd. The young animal brings variety for everyone and it bonds the animals even closer together," says Zoo Director Dr. Stephan Hering-Hagenbeck.

Elephant cow at Vienna's Schönbrunn Zoo became a patient "aunt"

Particularly, an elephant cow born in the zoo in 2003 has developed into a patient "aunt" who plays a lot with the young animal. Most of the time, the calf stays under her belly and walks with her, while the mother animal can enjoy a break. Herd life is very exciting for the little elephant. He is always in the middle of it and hardly sleeps during the day. Whether stones or sand hills – the entire facility is also being curiously explored.

Little elephant delights Vienna's Schönbrunn Zoo

At birth, the calf's weight was estimated at just over 100 kilograms. By now, the little one regularly steps on the scale. Two weeks ago, he already weighed 195 kilograms. He gains about one kilogram daily. However, it is still a long way to reach his father's weight – a proud 4.6 tons. Curiously, he also practices using his trunk by touching his surroundings and other herd members. "The little elephant is still being nursed, but he already carries small branches through the facility. He can also manage to take up water with his trunk and squirt it into his mouth," says zookeeper Hannah Bartunek. He has already built trust with the zookeeper team: He stretches his ears towards them and allows himself to be touched – an important preliminary work for later medical training.

(Red)

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