Columbus Zoo's new baby elephant makes public debut
POWELL, Ohio (WCMH) -- There is no question the star attraction at the Columbus Zoo and Aquarium on Monday was the new baby elephant.
The baby, which hasn't been named yet, spent the first two weeks bonding with her mom but the public got the chance to see the calf for the first time on Monday morning.
“I really like it because you feel bonded, because you saw her as a baby,” said patron Tina McCandlish. “If I come back in the coming months or years, we'll see her grow up, so it's just kind of exciting. You feel a personal connection with them when we see them as a baby.”
Some people and families were emotional seeing the new Asian elephant calf. The calf was a bit shy when she entered the viewing with her mom Sunny and her Aunt Rudy, but it's normal to take a minute to get comfortable with a crowd.
“Rudy kind of used your front foot to keep the baby right here, within a couple of minutes, they were like, oh, it's just people and you see them just walking around doing their thing now,” said Adam Felts, Senior Curator and Director of Animal Wellbeing. “So, it's everything we want to see, we want to see them being observant to their surroundings, and we also want to see them quickly assess the surroundings and be like, we're cool.”
Leaders said this will help continue the zoo's commitment to Asian elephant care and conservation. They also shared what patrons should be paying attention to when they come back and see the calf grow over the years.
Gallery: New baby elephant at Columbus Zoo
“Trunk usage is a learned behavior,” Felts said. “So, you'll see her walking around with a flop on on her nose. They will learn to use their trunk over the first couple of years, if you come to the Zoo, watch her trunk because it's pretty adorable to watch.”
Asian elephants are classified as endangered according to the International Union for Conservation of Nature. There are less than 50,000 of them worldwide but the Zoo is proud to add another one to the population.
“This is a big deal to have a baby elephant,” Felts said. “Every birth matters with Asian elephants and I'm just, we're just so excited to be able to share this with our community.”