Latest news with #Mkhaya
CBC
16-04-2025
- General
- CBC
When an earthquake hit, these elephants formed a protective circle around their youngest
Social Sharing Mkhaya, a seven-year-old elephant at the San Diego Zoo Safari Park, can rest easy knowing her family has her back. When a 5.2-magnitude earthquake struck the area on Monday, Mkhaya's herd wasted no time forming a protective barrier around her, known as an "alert circle." The phenomenon, captured on video, has zoo staff beaming about the African elephant herd's sharp instincts, effective communication skills and strong family connection. "For them to be engaged in their environment and pick up on the signals that they're getting and respond appropriately, it's remarkable to see," Mindy Albright, curator of mammals at the Escondido, Calif., facility, told As It Happens host Nil Köksal. "And it's remarkable to see that those family bonds are so strong that they come together immediately to care for one another." WATCH | Elephants form 'alert circle' at San Diego Zoo Safari Park: Elephants form ring of protection around little one during earthquake 2 hours ago Duration 2:27 The herd members were in their enclosure foraging for food when the rumblings began. Immediately, they stopped what they were doing and started looking around. Then they gathered at the centre of the enclosure, and for a moment, stood completely still. "They've got their ears out. They're listening. They also have the ability to feel sound vibrations through their feet that travel several miles," Albright said. "So they're really just sort of in that moment, frozen, trying to gather as much information as they can so they can decide what's our next move? And that's a survival strategy that all elephants have." It's also entirely possible, she says, that they were talking to each other. "Elephants also have the ability to communicate in a frequency far below our ability to hear, so they could have been communicating that whole time. We just would not be able to hear it." Brother steps up to defend sister It didn't take them long to reach a consensus. The three adult females — Ndlula and Umngani and Khosi — quickly encircled Mkhaya and faced outward, ready to guard her. Mkhaya's half-brother Zuli, also only seven years old, joined the older females, facing outwards as part of the barrier. This prompted Khosi — a teenager who helped raise Zuli along with his biological mother, Ndlula — to repeatedly tap the young male with her trunk. Elephant herds are made up of adult females, usually a matriarch and her female relatives, and juveniles of both sexes. As the males reach adolescence, somewhere between the ages of 10 to 15, they leave their herd and go off in search of mates. Zuli is still very much a child, says Albright, but he's nearing that age where he'll separate from the group. "When they went to walk away [from the circle], he was still, like, touching his mom. So he's not fully confident as an adult bull. He's still a youngster," she said. "But these are just moments for him to start demonstrating his evolution of maturity within the family group." Alert circles are a perfectly natural elephant behaviour, often displayed in the wild, says Chase LaDue, a conservation scientist who works with elephants at the Oklahoma City Zoo. When there's any kind of perceived threat — an unknown noise, approaching humans, fighting animals — the herd's adult females instinctively enclose around the juveniles. "Elephants often have close bonds with one another, working together to find food and other resources and to defend each other against potential threats," LaDue said. The fact that it occurred in captivity, he says, is a good sign the facility has kept the herd's natural family unit intact. "These social functions are present even in places like zoos, where we strive to replicate natural social structures and provide opportunities for elephants to express natural behaviours," he said. The quake ultimately posed no danger to the elephants. It caused some minor damage in the mountain town of Julian near the epicentre, but nobody was harmed. Soon after it passed, the herd returned to their foraging. About an hour later when an aftershock hit, they briefly huddled again and then dispersed once they determined everyone was safe. Albright says they acted exactly as elephants should, which was heartening to see. "It's just a wonderful example of the strong family bond that elephant herds have," she said.
Express Tribune
16-04-2025
- General
- Express Tribune
Zoo elephants feel the quake first – what they do next is incredible
Listen to article A 5.2-magnitude earthquake that struck Southern California triggered a remarkable display of protective behaviour from a herd of African elephants at the San Diego Zoo Safari Park. In video footage released by the park, the elephants are seen reacting moments after the tremor begins, scattering briefly before regrouping to form an "alert circle" – a defensive posture where adult elephants encircle their young to shield them from perceived threats. The older elephants, Ndlula, Umngani, and Khosi, quickly moved to protect the two seven-year-old calves, Zuli and Mkhaya. The group stood in formation for several minutes, with ears spread and heads turning outward, appearing alert even after the shaking ceased. 'They sort of freeze as they gather information about where the danger is,' said Mindy Albright, curator of mammals at the park. She noted that elephants are able to detect seismic vibrations through their feet. One calf, Zuli, took immediate refuge at the centre of the circle, while Mkhaya initially lingered on the edge, seemingly reluctant to retreat. Khosi, a teenage female, repeatedly nudged Mkhaya with her trunk, gently coaxing him back into the protective formation. The video has drawn widespread attention online, with many praising the animals' social intelligence and instinctive care for their young. 'It's so great to see them doing the thing we all should be doing – that any parent does, which is protect their children,' Albright said. An aftershock about an hour later prompted the herd to briefly regroup before dispersing again once calm was restored. No injuries were reported in the quake, which was felt from San Diego to Los Angeles. Minor damage was noted in areas near the epicentre, including the mountain town of Julian.
Yahoo
15-04-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Watch Elephants Use This 'Unique' Ability In Response To San Diego Earthquake
A herd of African elephants had each others' backs at the San Diego Zoo Safari Park on Monday as a 5.2 magnitude earthquake shook Southern California on Monday morning. (Check out the clip below.) The elephants, in a clip posted to the park's social media channels, formed what the park dubbed a 'circle of trust' as they swiftly moved closer to one another and around youngsters in the herd. 'Elephants have the unique ability to feel sounds through their feet and formed what is known as an 'alert circle,'' the San Diego Zoo Safari Park noted in the post's caption. The response by the herd — composed of Ndlula, Umngani and Khosi, as well as youngsters Zuli and Mkhaya — is tied to a 'natural response to perceived threats that helps protect younger elephants and the herd as a whole,' the park noted. The San Diego Zoo Wildlife Alliance told San Diego's NBC affiliate that the clip demonstrates the 'strong social family structure in elephant herds.' The herd went back to 'business as usual' after roughly four minutes and are now 'safe' along with other crew members with the wildlife alliance, according to the park. The park — which eight African elephants call home — was among a number of places shaken up by the quake with an epicenter just south of the community of Julian, which is roughly 60 miles northeast of San Diego. Several lesser-magnitude aftershocks were also reported, per the U.S. Geological Survey. Social Media Reacts To JD Vance Fumbling Ohio State Football Trophy Jeff Bezos Face-Plants While Trying To Greet Fiancee After Blue Origin Flight CBS News Anchor Schooled For Saying 1 Word To Female Astronaut
