Well, I kept an eye on the elephants while the Forum was closed down. There is a fair amount of information to report. We have a new baby elephant as of late December, and he is a lively little tyke. He is full of energy and is curious about everything, and thinks nothing of running up to the other elephants, which is not always wise, as he may not always be welcomed, and he sometimes runs up to his dad, who does not like anything to come between him and his food. His mom has her hands full keeping track of him, especially now that the Zoo has opened up a new, extended enclosure for the elephants; there is a gate there, and mom will start through, but the Holy Terror, as I have dubbed the baby, has other ideas, and he takes off in another direction, and mom has to come back and get him. Sometimes he gets scared, and runs back to mom and stays under her belly for about 1 minute, then he can't help himself, he is off again, with mom in hot pursuit. He is the cutest little guy, but takes chances, and his mom, who is a very good mom, is just run off her feet.
They now have two bull elephants at the Zoo, so the staff are working out a plan to allow them both to have females without having a battle of the bulls on their hands. So far, things seem to be working out.
