Each month, as Nandi bounds closer to her 1-year birthday on Aug. 20, ο»Ώ we will keep you in the know on whatβs new with this precious pachydermβs progress.
Sue Tygielski, the Reid Park Zooβs elephant manager, has the skinny on Tucsonβs big baby.
Age: Three months today.
Weight: 465 pounds when we talked with Tygielski last week, but she guessed Nandi would gain about 10 more pounds by today.
First shot: Last Thursday, Nandi got her first shot β tetanus β and as seems to be the norm with this pretty pachyderm, she took it like a pro. βShe was perfect,β Tygielski says. βShe got it, and I was expecting her to cry out, and her mom to be upset, but she didnβt make a squeak.β
40,000 muscles: Nandi is still figuring out how to manage the 40,000 muscles in her trunk, which βflops all over the place,β Tygielski says. Nandi now uses her trunk to pick up and put in her mouth things such as hay, leaves and pellets β but not for eating. βShe will pick up pellets off of our hands with her trunk, but wonβt let us put them in her trunk. She canβt hold her trunk still yet. She is getting more skillful at grabbing things.β
Hanging with Auntie Lungile: βShe spends more time with her aunt. She will trade off between Mom and Auntie, and I think Auntie really likes that. ... Nandi will follow her aunt and stay close to her like she would with a surrogate mom, like with a human aunt. Sometimes, theyβll dust together.β The practice of picking up dirt with her trunk without inhaling it and tossing it onto her back for sunscreen and fly protection is a new thing for Nandi. Tygielski calls it a sophisticated behavior.
Having a ball: βWe have these Boomer Balls, and they have small holes that you can put pellets inside, and the adults roll them around to get the pellets out. She will climb with her front two feet on it.β Cute but sometimes clumsy, Nandi is not beyond the occasional tumble.
For more information on Nandi and to see her playing in a kiddie pool visit tucson.com/elephant
