500 Pound Infant Weighed At Oregon Zoo, Found Not To Be Obese

By Bill LaMarche

Portland, OR - The pitter-patter of little feet is beginning to sound downright thunderous at the Oregon Zoo. Samudra, the zoo's 2-month-old Asian elephant calf, tipped the scales at 499 today, and keepers expect the "little guy" will weigh more than 500 pounds by tomorrow.

"Sam is growing fast, just the way he's supposed to," said Bob Lee, senior elephant keeper at the zoo. "He's put on about 215 pounds over his birth weight. We couldn't be happier about the way he's progressing." 

The pitter-patter of little feet is beginning to sound downright thunderous at the Oregon Zoo. Samudra, the zoo's 2-month-old Asian elephant calf, tipped the scales at 499 today, and keepers expect the "little guy" will weigh more than 500 pounds by tomorrow.

"Sam is growing fast, just the way he's supposed to," said Bob Lee, senior elephant keeper at the zoo. "He's put on about 215 pounds over his birth weight. We couldn't be happier about the way he's progressing."

Samudra, born Aug. 23 at the zoo, had a rough start to life when his mother, Rose-Tu, became confused after giving birth and nearly trampled him. Elephant keepers quickly intervened and were able to prevent the new mother from causing harm to her baby. Lee believes Rose-Tu became confused because she had never seen a birth before. Until the new baby's arrival, she had been the last elephant born at the zoo.

Zoo staff worked around the clock during the calf's first week of life to help ensure the critical reintroduction to Rose-Tu was working. The success rate for human-reared elephants is pretty low, Lee noted, so keepers "wanted more than anything for that mother-calf bond to become a strong one."

"It took a while," said Lee. "But now Rose-Tu is a loving and protective mother to Sam." 

Once Rose-Tu and Samudra had successfully bonded, keepers faced a new challenge: reintroducing the calf to the rest of the herd, in particular Sung-Surin, familiarly known as Shine -- who didn't take a shine to the baby elephant when they first met.

"Shine was spooked by Sam's birth," said Lee, "so when they met initially, her first instinct was to harm him."

Elephant keepers slowly reintroduced the elephant calf to Shine, and the 26-year-old female has now fully accepted her role as "auntie."

To see video of Sam exploring the zoo's elephant yard with Rose-Tu and "Auntie" Chendra, visit www.oregonzoo.org/VideoArchive/elephant_herd.htm.

As Samudra grows older, father Tusko -- a 13,500-pound, 36-year-old Asian elephant -- will   be introduced and allowed to interact with him, as well. Tusko arrived at the zoo in June 2005 on a breeding loan. He has successfully sired three calves in the past -- two while living in Canada and one in California.

Rose-Tu, born Aug. 31, 1994, is a popular elephant within the herd and with her keepers. She is always looking to tease her herd mates and shares a strong friendship with Chendra, who is nearly the same age. Rose-Tu is the second-smallest adult elephant in the herd, weighing about 7,600 pounds. She conceived in late 2006.

The Association of Zoos and Aquariums' Species Survival Plan for Asian elephants recommended that Rose-Tu be bred with Tusko. The AZA, of which the Oregon Zoo is an accredited member, strives to maintain a sustainable population of the endangered elephants in North America. Currently, birth rates are lower than necessary to do so. With few bulls and low birth rates -- combined with an aging female population -- the North American elephant population is at of risk becoming extinct.

In the late 1990s, scientists warned zoos that unless a reproductive management program was undertaken, North America was in danger of not sustaining a viable elephant population. Statistics indicate that if females do not become pregnant by the age of 25, their ability to reproduce is severely diminished.

An endangered species, Asian elephants are represented by an estimated 38,000 to 51,000 individuals living in fragmented populations in the wild. Agriculture, deforestation and conflict with humans pose a constant threat to wild Asian elephants.

The Oregon Zoo has a renowned breeding program for endangered Asian elephants.  More than 25 elephants have been born at the zoo, beginning with Packy in 1962. The new calf is the first third-generation elephant to be born in the United States.

The zoo is a service of Metro and is dedicated to its mission to inspire the community to create a better future for wildlife. Committed to conservation, the zoo is currently working to save endangered California condors, Washington's pygmy rabbits, Oregon silverspot butterflies, western pond turtles, Oregon spotted frogs and Kincaid's lupine. Other projects include studies on black rhinos, Asian elephants, polar bears and bats.

The zoo opens at 9 a.m. daily and is located five minutes from downtown Portland, just off Highway 26. The zoo is also accessible by MAX light rail line. Zoo visitors are encouraged to ride MAX or take TriMet bus No. 63.

Visitors who take the bus or MAX receive $1 off zoo admission. Call TriMet Customer Service, 503-238-RIDE (7433), or visit www.trimet.org for fare and route information.

General admission is $9.75 (12-64), seniors $8.25 (65+), children $6.75 (3-11), and infants 2 and under are free; 25 cents of the admission price helps fund regional conservation projects through the zoo's Future for Wildlife program. A parking fee of $2 per car is also required. Additional information is available at www.oregonzoo.org or by calling 503-226-1561.

Caption: Samudra, the Oregon Zoo's 2-month-old Asian elephant, weighs in at 499 pounds. At right is his mom, Rose-Tu. Photo by Michael Durham, courtesy of the Oregon Zoo.

Oregon Zoo " 4001 SW Canyon Rd. " Portland, Oregon 97221 " 503-226-1561