Baby elephant meets big brother Samudra at Oregon Zoo
PORTLAND, Ore. - It was another big day recently for the newest arrival at the Oregon Zoo as Rose-Tu's week-old calf, an as-yet unnamed girl, met her 4-year-old big brother, Samudra.
Samudra was born at the Oregon Zoo in 2008 to Rose-Tu and Tusko. The zoo released video Wednesday of the two pachyderms meeting for the first time through a gate called the "howdy gate" inside the elephant facility, according to zoo officials.
Hova Najarian with the Oregon Zoo said the two sibling first met on Saturday.
Samudra and his wide-eyed little sister, who was at first hesitant to approach, eventually rubbed trunks with a little encouragement from mama Rose-Tu, saying hello in a way that only elephants do.
The newborn calf has been the subject of controversy after zoo officials acknowledged she was owned by a California company that uses elephants for entertainment purposes and has been accused of mistreatment by animal rights groups.
However, company officials said Tuesday the elephant will remain at the Oregon Zoo.
None of that seemed to matter as Samudra patiently spent time with his newest family member.
At a press conference Tuesday, elephant curator Bob Lee said the zoo is planning on expanding the zoo's herd of elephants through more births in the future.
Najarain refused to say when the public might get a first glimpse of the baby elephant. "The animal-care staff are completely focused on what's best for the elephants, so we humans will just have to be patient!" he said in an email to KATU.com.
Be he also said that "it shouldn't be too long" before the calf goes on view to zoo visitors.
Video courtesy of the Oregon Zoo
somebody needs to put a condom on the Oregon Zoo
Stop breeding elephants Oregon ZooÂ
From 1994 to 2005, the zoo suspended its elephant breeding
program, unable to risk the 50 percent chance
the calf would be a male. At the time, the zoo lacked
the space to house another bull elephant.
The zoo still lacks space so why did they make another? Because they new they were selling her to the circus?
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it is shows lack of empathy and to continue to breed these elephants when the Oregon Zoo can not house them. it should be criminal to house 8 elephants on 1.5 acres--the proposed new on site expansion of 4.5 acres will still not meet the space requirements for 8 of the world's largest land mammals--The new baby is not even a week old and Bob Lee is commenting on making more--shame shame shame
She is just a sweetheart!
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The more I learn about elephants, the more I realize just how incredibly intelligent they are. We are truly fortunate to have some around, but they should be in the wild and protected from poachers and anyone else who would do them harm.
And I notice how Rose "guides" her with her trunk. Very subtle, but very clear.
I find it so endearing how she just clings to mama's side like that. I don't remember if Samudra did that at this age, but it's so sweet! I would be afraid of being stepped on, but I guess elephants are used to watching their step around babies.
She is so cute! She just scoots along with momma guiding her here and there. Samudra seemed happy to see his mom and meet baby sis. It is sad that they're confined, but this is life as they know it. If they're treated well and loved, which I believe they are, than who's to say it shouldn't be.
Did you hear the zoo is opening a new exhibit next year called Sheeple? I heard it is going to have glass viewing areas and the walls were going to all be white.
Ugh, man, this baby elephant this is just... so darn cute, I can't get over how cute that thing is.
@brautigan Isn't she though??? I could watch her all day....just look at the way she scampers along with mom...a whole new world opening up and she wants to see it all LOL Makes you want to laugh and shed a tear and just go crazy over her. And Samudra! What an adorable fellow he is too!! God...we could learn so much from them.
I don't care what names the zoo suggests for the baby elephant.
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There is no doubt in my mind the only viable name is " TU TOO".
@Steven D. Levin You really think Tu Too is cute?
 @Steven D. Levin that IS cute....gotta admit : )
Way cool!! They never forget their family and this makes for much better press than recent rants about nothing. Thank you KATU!!
Oh wow, watching that video made my whole day! So freakin cute!!!
Why do these videos from Oregon Zoo always seem so short and highly edited? Show us the whole deal! Why edit these videos so much? This family's meeting for the first time after a week is exciting! It also sounded like one of them was crying. They could have explained it a little more.
@catamaran....it's a cover up. They don't want you to see the repeated beatings unleashed on the baby whenever she whines about being in captivity.
 @Solipsist01 They sure were whining like dogs after a long separation! Although I have not seen our elephants in OR zoo being beaten, they seem to discipline these intelligent animals with sticks or something of that nature. It is definitely demeaning to such sensitive and social animals.
 @boned  @catamaran  @Solipsist01http://aldf.org/downloads/ALDF_Honoring_Animal_Victims_Landmarks.pdf
http://mcda.us/documents/pretrial_public_records/00-13.p
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read it weep like Rose Tu did
 @boned  @catamaran  @Solipsist01 Spell check boner. If you cannot spell our President's name, stfd and stfu.
 @boned  @catamaran  @Solipsist01 Pretty sure Solipsist01 was being sarcastic.
 @catamaran  @Solipsist01 Good Lord!! You two voted for Omama and either drive a Volvo, or a Subaru. If there was any abuse, and beatings as you proclaim, WCSO and other agencies would be all over it. Shut your collective pie-holes unless you can prove it, OK??Â
This is animal abuse. No more elephants at the Portland Zoo!
@bojack....Really?..of all the causes you could get behind, you're going to get all bent out of shape about elephants in a zoo? Where do you stand on Koi ponds?
 @Solipsist01 Trying to compare fish to elephants is quite a stretch!
@B Smizzle....geeze, is my humor really that vague?
 @bojack Right....as if the world outside is very safe for them! Elephants are getting killed everywhere else on earth! Let them at least live safely in zoos!
 @catamaran  @bojack http://mcda.us/documents/pretrial_public_records/00-13.p
@bojack Rubbing trunks and squeeking at each other is abuse?
That just made my day! I'm already in love with this little baby girl, she's so precious and cute. So much personality showing already. I love how Mama is so protective of her, gently pushing her back until she had a chance to greet Sam first. And what cute little chirping noises they make! Hope Sam's happy with his new baby sister and doesn't feel jealous. Can't wait to see the latest addition!
@QuandoQuandoQuando I don't know if your a parent or not, but this kind of reminded me of introducing my daughter to my son when she was born. at first they just looked at each other, then he didn't want to touch her, then next thing I knew he had climed up next to me on the bed and was rubbing her hand. So sweet.
"eventually rubbed trunks... saying hello in a way that only elephants do" I've heard that elephants aren't the only ones to say "hello" that way.
 @JTesla OH!
Gads, I think it is awful how the cages look. Big steel bars, concrete floors. All grey and ugly. How terrible. It is way past time to stop with the traditional zoos and have open spaces and no cages. No concrete and steel. Bamboo is as strong as steel....use that.Â
@KKStJohn Have you been to the OR zoo? There is an outdoor space (still relativey small) for these animals. The use of the interior cages (a controlled environment) for this initial meeting is for the safety of all involved.
 @KKStJohn Those are typically used for elephants that are ill, for babies, etc. I'd imagine that even when the new expanded exhibit is ready, you'll still see those used for such occasions. Especially with it being cold and wet right now, they want to do everything they can to protect the baby. We saw one at the Houston Zoo back in about 2004. It was either late Feb or early March and it was chilly and raining. Their baby elephant was outside with blankets and a heater. Poor thing looked miserable. I was not terribly surprised to hear a few weeks later that the poor thing had died.
 @Jenni S.  @KKStJohn The Houston Zoo totally sucks and left me completely horrified the only time I saw it....like a throwback to the 1800s or something.
@KKStJohn Good news is on the way on that front or at least a start, from the zoo website: "Thanks to funding from the bond passed by voters in 2008, an expanded Asian elephant habitat will support a richer social and family life for the zoo's elephants. The much larger exhibit will offer a variety of terrain, scratching surfaces, elephant controlled showers, pools for bathing and mud wallows to cool and protect skin"
 @JTesla  @KKStJohn Well let's see...it's now darn near 2013 so where are "that habitat they were going to build"?? Where is the money? And concrete floors are one of primary reasons (besides small enclosures like we have) that elephants die early in Zoos. That and stress with bull hook injuries (is that what we want for any of these animals and esp. Samudra and his little baby sister??): http://www.helpelephants.com/oregon_zoo_health_status.html
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 Does anyone recall the elephants at our Zoo euthanized due to intractable and totally preventable foot infections? This is preventable if  "captive" elephants are allowed natural settings like here: http://www.helpelephants.com/oregon_zoo_health_status.html
How about it, Oregon Zoo? Make a move in a better direction than ongoing problems.
@KKStJohn Gray bars, gray walls, gray floor, gray elephants. Maybe its ment to be camouflage.
I loved how Rose-Tu greeted her son! What a sweet reunion, and that little baby girl is just adorable! It's nice to see how comfortable Rose-Tu is being a mother now, she appears to be calm and attentive to her offspring.
OMG...she is so stinkin' cute.
AAAAhhhhh he missed his momma, I love the sounds they make, what a wonderful reunion and awesome meeting of the brother and sister. Â Looks like a really nice happy family. Â Good job guys.....