Volume 1, No. 9. June 1, 2001
The Elephant Child
Having yet another successful
Asian elephant birth is never a mundane moment, even if it is your eighth one
in 15 years. For African Lion Safari in Cambridge, Ontario, the one-month-old,
unnamed son of 33-year-old Kitty is continuation of a highly successful breeding
program of this endangered species.
Kitty's third baby expands African Lion Safari's herd to 13, five of them young
males. The 750-acre wildlife park was founded in 1969 as a place where "visitors
are caged in their cars as animals roam freely," said Karen O'Grady, director
of marketing. Elephants first arrived in 1971, and in 1985 the AZA- and CAZA-accredited
zoo launched its Asian elephant breeding program, focusing on the sub-continent
species rather than the African variety because they are the more endangered,
O'Grady said.
She attributes the program's success to the happy and healthy state of the animals.
The elephants work out a lot, doing demonstrations for visitors. Twice a day
the whole herd is taken to a 3-acre lake in the center of the park for a swim.
They also get daily walks in a forest behind the facility, and otherwise they
spend their time in their 5-acre paddock.
The focus is so intent on breeding that O'Grady didn't think publicity of the
newborn would drive incremental visitation to the park, though the birth has
received a lot of media attention. That cute picture will do that. Then again,
even for the newborn bull it was business as usual. Within a day the boy was
on display outdoors and swimming with the herd.
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