In a charming moment captured at a Thai elephant sanctuary, a young elephant enthusiastically approached a visitor for a cuddle, offering a playful interaction that delighted everyone watching The video shows a woman seated on the muddy ground when, unexpectedly, a baby elephant bounds over, eager to make her acquaintance. The audience can’t help but laugh as the calf cozily settles on her lap. A bystander comments that the woman seems to be enjoying the unusual encounter. However, the calf’s boundless energy keeps it moving around, occasionally shifting in ways that look a little uncomfortable for the woman. She smiles and strokes the baby elephant as it readjusts onto her thighs, embracing the affectionate moment. But when the calf rolls backward onto her shins, she lets out a soft “ow,” prompting a nearby person to step in and lend a hand. Unperturbed, the little elephant soon rolls f...
The Pittsburgh Zoo had to make the heartbreaking decision to euthanize a premature baby elephant on Wednesday morning after she stopped eating.
“Our hearts are broken; it’s just devastating,” stated Dr. Barbara Baker,
President & CEO of the Pittsburgh Zoo & PPG Aquarium.
“She touched so many people in such a short time. We did everything we could to care for her, but unfortunately, it wasn’t enough in the end.”
Born prematurely on May 31, the calf weighed only 184 pounds—52 pounds below the average weight for an African elephant.
Shortly after her birth, her mother, Seeni, a 21-year-old elephant rescued from Botswana in 2011, could not produce milk and rejected the calf. Since then, zoo staff have been providing round-the-clock care.
Unfortunately, the calf was never given a name.
Staff trained one of the adult female elephants to allow hand milking to ensure her survival. The baby was fed elephant milk and a specially formulated African elephant formula.
However, when she began teething, she struggled to eat properly. Despite being given a feeding tube, she failed to gain sufficient weight.
“The humane decision to euthanize the calf was made, and she passed away peacefully surrounded by her family of dedicated keepers,” a press release from the zoo explained.
Typically, the gestation period for a female African elephant is 645 days, but this calf arrived after just 615 days. The zoo reached out to elephant experts worldwide to save her.
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“When we consulted with them, they assured us that it was normal for teething calves to lose their appetite and weight,” Dr. Baker said. “However, they cautioned us that sometimes these calves cannot recover from such weight loss and may pass away.”
Dr. Baker added, “When we inserted the feeding tube, we knew this was her last chance.” Following her passing, the medical team plans to conduct a full autopsy to determine if any genetic abnormalities contributed to her failure to gain weight.
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