Archive for the ‘Tupelo’ Category

Nov
21

The Swim Lessons were a Success

Posted by in Baylor,Elephant Care,Shanti,Tupelo

Baylor, Shanti, and Tupelo in the new pool

Our entire herd is having a great time in their new, expanded exhibit, and Baylor and Tupelo have picked their favorite part of all-the giant swimming pool! Elephants love the water, and bathing is one of their favorite activities. Although elephants are very large and do not look like the most graceful of swimmers, they actually have a few advantages in the water. Elephants are naturally buoyant, making it easy for them to float in the water, but the biggest advantage is their trunk. When swimming, elephants can raise the tip of their trunk above the water and breathe through it like a snorkel. This allows them to be underwater for as long as they like, which is especially helpful in the wild when crossing large, deep rivers.
Tupelo, now 13 months old, and Baylor, now 18 months old, are gradually learning to swim in the deep end of their new 80,000 gallon pool. Over the past few months, keepers have slowly filled the pool so that the calves could get used to swimming in deeper waters. At first, Baylor and Tupelo could stand on the bottom and lay down to float on their sides. As the water level rose, the calves could practice kicking and breathing through their trunks. Now, the pool is almost filled to the highest level, and the rest of our herd is starting to enjoy swimming as well. Tess often joins her calf Tupelo in the pool, and usually relaxes while floating on her side to cool off. Shanti, Baylor’s mom, loves to play in the pool with both calves by splashing with her trunk. Tucker loves to splash and swim, but most of the time you can only see his trunk above the water. Even Thailand and Methai get in the shallow end to cool off!

The elephants get in the pool when the mood strikes them, but chances are if you stop by the new Asian Elephant exhibit on a warm day, you will see the Baylor and Tupelo splashing, running and swimming, enjoying all their new habitat has to offer.

Shanti, Baylor and Tupleo playing in the new pool

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Aug
09

Swim Lessons

Posted by in Baylor,Enrichment,Tupelo

Most elephants love the water, and Tupelo and Baylor are no exception. Where there is a hose, pool, or even puddle, these two are probably not far away. While they love being in the water, swimming is something they have to learn. At the Houston Zoo, we start the babies off in small kiddie pools. These are a lot of fun, but it gets expensive as the pools usually only last one or two “swims”.

From there, they graduate into a big pool, but keepers do not fill the pool all the way up. We start by keeping the water about two feet deep and gradually fill it until they are comfortable moving about in the water. The new elephant yard which is slated to open this fall has an 80,000 gallon pool with terraced landings so the elephants can enjoy the water at various depths. At first, the pool will only be filled a few feet so that they can become familiar with the tiers, ramps, and contour of the pool. This process does not take long and before we know it, Baylor,Tupelo, and Tucker will most likely be spending the better part of the day romping in the pool. This series of videos shows Tupelo and Baylor’s first adventures into the adult elephant pool. Tupelo is fearless and pretty much dove right in to the water.


Baylor erred on the side of caution and took a more methodical approach. Once in, it was game on and getting them out of the pool then became a challenge.

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May
27

Big Daddy

Posted by in Baylor,Elephant Herd,Tupelo

Elephants live in a matriarchal society meaning that herds of elephants generally consist of adult females with their calves.  Baylor and Tupelo spend every day with Shanti and Tess (their mothers) and the rest of the Houston Zoo herd.  Thailand, the zoo’s 45 year old bull elephant, is the father of both calves.   Thai often spends his day in one yard with the herd in the other yard. 

Thai and Baylor

Adult bull elephants are generally solitary creatures.  But, sometimes zoo guests can see Thai in the same yard as the herd.  That is one of the many things that makes Thai a very special bull elephant.  Thai is very good with baby elephants and seems enjoy socializing with the herd.  Baylor and Tupelo also seem to love spending time with Thai.  The calves follow him around and mimic many of his behaviors.  Thai will even sometimes play with the calves and share is hay!  Thai is an excellent father!

Thai and Tupelo

Celebrate Dad by giving him a memorable Father’s Day gift this year – name a Houston Toad after him! With your gift, you help us support Houston Toads, a critically endangered species native to Texas. Click here to learn more about Houston Toads and how you can further the Houston Zoo’s conservation efforts that help ensure their survival. (www.houstonzoo.org/name-a-toad )

Thai, Baylor, Tupelo, & Methai

Come visit the newly-named toads on June 19 from 10 a.m. – 3 p.m. as we celebrate a TOAD-ally Awesome Father’s Day at the Houston Zoo. This fun, family event will be filled with crafts, activities, Houston Toad info and much more! This event is FREE with your paid Zoo admission.

Written by: Kim Klein, Houston Zoo Elephant Keeper

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May
02

April Showers Bring… Mud and More Mud

Posted by in Baylor,Tupelo

Muddy Tupelo

April showers usually bring May flowers, but to the elephant herd mud is a much better result from rain showers than spring blooms.  Siblings Baylor and Tupelo spend much of their day playing with one another, and mud – as it is for most children – is one of their favorite playgrounds. 

Tupelo and Baylor

Following a spring shower, you can find the inseparable pair splashing and roughhousing in the muck and mire.  Usually, too much energy is required for the much larger adult elephants to get down and roll around in the mud, but you will surely see them making good use of it. 

Baylor, Tupelo, and Tess

Asian elephants are naturally attracted to water, soil, and mud as these are the perfect ingredients to form protective coatings on their skin that help to maintain cooler body temperatures and ward off insects and harmful UV rays.  So, following the next Houston cloud burst, be sure to stop by and visit Baylor and Tupelo and the rest of the herd to catch them making the most of a muddy situation.

Written by Joel Carter, Houston Zoo Elephant Keeper

Baylor and Tupelo getting dirty

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Apr
25

Who Wants an apple?

Posted by in Baylor,Elephant Care,Tupelo

Baylor and his trainer Martina

When Baylor and Tupelo each reached approximately three months of age, they started eating solid foods! This was a huge milestone for the elephants and the keepers, because at that time formal training sessions began. The keepers started to work with the calves on basic behaviors like targeting, lifting their feet, and lifting their trunks.

Baylor learning to touch a target

Training is now an everyday part of the calves’ lives. Of course, all of their training sets are short and positive. Baylor and Tupelo both really seem to enjoy the attention from their trainers. Favorite training foods for the baby elephants are carrots, yams, and bread.

Written by: Martina Stevens, Houston Zoo Elephant Manager

 

Baylor learning "trunk" behavior

 

Baylor and Shanti with their trainers

 

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Apr
04

Who’s Your Daddy?

Posted by in Baylor,Elephant Herd,Featured,Tupelo

A new elephant at the Houston Zoo?

A lot of zoo guests have a noticed a new elephant in the exhibit while visiting the zoo.  But, it is not really a new elephant to the Houston Zoo.  In fact, the elephant is Thai the zoo’s adult bull and father of Baylor and Tupelo.  Thai has been spending a lot of quality time with the herd lately in the zoo’s cable yard.  Bulls are generally solitary in nature, but Thai seems to enjoy his time with the herd.  Baylor and Tupelo seem to think having Thai around all of the time is great too and one of them is always underfoot!

Thai and Baylor

Thai with Baylor and Tupelo

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Mar
01

Elephant Calves are ready for Spring!

Posted by in Baylor,Enrichment,Featured,Humor,Play Time,Tupelo

Baylor and Tupelo cooling off in their big kiddie pool.

With Spring approaching and the temperatures slowly rising, kids all over Houston are starting to think about swimming and playing outside. The baby elephants at the Houston Zoo are no exception. Now that Baylor weighs more than 1,100 pounds and Tupelo about 600 pounds, the small, inflatable pools do not last longer than 5 minutes without getting popped. Houston Zoo keepers have to give Baylor and Tupelo a much bigger kiddie pool to play in. 

The babies now get a family size pool which is 120 inches in length and can hold both calves. It is a lot more durable and usually lasts for about 5 uses before it has to be replaced. Playing in the pool is a fun enrichment activity for the babies and the pool is given to them when the weather allows.

Pool time is unannounced and unplanned. Guests who happen to be in the area around the elephant deck at the right time get to enjoy watching the calves splash around in the pool. However, Zookeepers do bathe the elephants everyday at 10 a.m. with a Meet the Keeper at the barn windows.

Written by Mandy Rinker, Houston Zoo Elephant Keeper

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Jan
18

Time flies when you’re having fun!

Posted by in Baylor,Featured,Play Time,Tupelo

Tupelo and Baylor

Our elephant calves, Baylor and Tupelo, have certainly kept us busy the past few months, but we are welcoming 2011 with excitement and anticipation. On January 3rd, Baylor turned 8 months old, and just one day later Tupelo turned 3 months old! It is hard to imagine just how small they were at birth (if you can call a baby over 250 pounds small!), but they have both grown tremendously in this short time. Keepers have been documenting both Baylor and Tupelo’s “firsts”, along with their adorable antics during playtime. 

Baylor trying to get a leg up on Tupelo

Baylor now weighs 1,045 pounds! That means he has gained about 3 pounds a day since birth, which is definitely above average for an elephant calf. Baylor is still nursing from his mother, Shanti, and will continue to for quite some time. He is also eating with the herd, enjoying hay, kale, and the stray piece of bread or popcorn. He also eats chopped produce, but prefers carrots and sweet potatoes over apples.

Tupelo has been gaining weight quickly as well, now weighing 465 pounds! She is gaining about 2.3 pounds a day and doing extremely well. She is learning to use her trunk to feed herself and is regularly seen munching on chopped produce and hay. She only has two teeth grown in so far, so she is not eating much solid food yet. One thing visitors will surely see her eat is the adult elephants’ feces. Yes, it sounds disgusting, but it is actually normal and very beneficial for elephant calves. By consuming the feces, the calves get good bacteria in their own bodies which helps them digest food and produce normal stools of their own. Tupelo’s personality is also showing itself to be extremely outgoing, and she is always approaching keepers for a good scratch.

Both Baylor and Tupelo, along with the rest of the Houston Zoo’s elephant herd, can be seen on exhibit daily at the McNair Asian Elephant Habitat. It sure is a lot of fun watching Baylor and Tupelo play rambunctiously with each other, and if you listen closely you might even hear them squealing “Tag! You’re it!”.

Written by Andrea Pohlman, Houston Zoo Elephant Keeper

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Nov
04

New video: Elephant Baby Boom at the Houston Zoo

Posted by in Baylor,Elephant Herd,Featured,Tupelo

Nov
03

Who’s the New Girl?

Posted by in Baylor,Elephant Herd,Tupelo

Tupelo's first day on exhibit.

The first time Tupelo went into the exhibit yard to meet the rest of the herd was an exciting time for the Elephant care team and elephants alike. The sound of trumpets, rumbles, and chirps from the elephants could be heard throughout the zoo. All of the elephant quickly ran over to Tess, Tupelo, and Tucker to meet and greet the newest addition to their herd. Naturally, Tupelo seemed overwhelmed at times and stayed very close to mom. Baylor also was a bit unsure and did not approach too closely too soon. Once Tupelo went down to take her first nap in the yard, Baylor knew it would safe to approach. Baylor walked up to Tupelo, smelled her a bit, then gently nudged her with his foot until she awoke, and then he ran back to his mom. This happened a few times until Baylor built up the courage to investigate Tupelo while she was awake. Tupelo is still too young to actively play with Baylor, but they spend some time hanging out with each and at times sleeping together. Once Tupelo gets a little older, the young bulls in the herd better watch out, she will most definitely be a handful for them.

Written by Daryl Hoffman, Houston Zoo Large Mammal Curator

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