If you look up rankings of the best Gatorade flavors, youโll often find lemon-lime, orange, glacier freeze and cool blue among the top picks.
Meru could not disagree more.
Reid Park Zooโs 545-pound elephant calf will continue to nurse for years to come, but sheโs spent the last month indulging in a couple of our favorite snacks: fruit punch-flavored Gatorade and bits of watermelon.
Meru was born at Reid Park Zoo, 3400 E. Zoo Court, on March 8. She joins mama Semba, allomother Lungile and big sisters 9-year-old Nandi and 4-year-old Penzi.
![Elephant calf Meru](https://bloximages.chicago2.vip.townnews.com/tucson.com/content/tncms/assets/v3/editorial/e/6b/e6b25046-3ef0-11ef-ab31-a3dc8dfd1393/668ede09838dc.image.jpg?resize=200%2C133 200w, https://bloximages.chicago2.vip.townnews.com/tucson.com/content/tncms/assets/v3/editorial/e/6b/e6b25046-3ef0-11ef-ab31-a3dc8dfd1393/668ede09838dc.image.jpg?resize=300%2C200 300w, https://bloximages.chicago2.vip.townnews.com/tucson.com/content/tncms/assets/v3/editorial/e/6b/e6b25046-3ef0-11ef-ab31-a3dc8dfd1393/668ede09838dc.image.jpg?resize=400%2C267 400w, https://bloximages.chicago2.vip.townnews.com/tucson.com/content/tncms/assets/v3/editorial/e/6b/e6b25046-3ef0-11ef-ab31-a3dc8dfd1393/668ede09838dc.image.jpg?resize=540%2C360 540w, https://bloximages.chicago2.vip.townnews.com/tucson.com/content/tncms/assets/v3/editorial/e/6b/e6b25046-3ef0-11ef-ab31-a3dc8dfd1393/668ede09838dc.image.jpg?resize=750%2C500 750w, https://bloximages.chicago2.vip.townnews.com/tucson.com/content/tncms/assets/v3/editorial/e/6b/e6b25046-3ef0-11ef-ab31-a3dc8dfd1393/668ede09838dc.image.jpg?resize=1200%2C800 1200w, https://bloximages.chicago2.vip.townnews.com/tucson.com/content/tncms/assets/v3/editorial/e/6b/e6b25046-3ef0-11ef-ab31-a3dc8dfd1393/668ede09838dc.image.jpg?resize=1700%2C1133 1700w)
Baby Meru was born to mama Semba, joining allomother Lungile and big sisters Nandi and Penzi.
For all five elephants, zoo staff facilitate training sessions to ensure the health and wellbeing of the herd โ itโs voluntary for the elephants and always done through positive reinforcement.
โWeโre teaching (Meru) to use her trunk to interact with us in a safe way and take the reinforcement weโre giving her to try to put it in her mouth,โ says elephant care specialist Mara Eisenbarth. Reinforcements could include carrots, cucumbers or elephant pellets โ basically kibble for elephants, packed with nutrients and vitamins.
โRight now sheโs really interested in watered-down Gatorade,โ Eisenbarth says. โWe have little bowls. If she touches her trunk to our hand, weโll give her a little bowl of Gatorade.โ
The whole herd is a fan of the fruit punch flavor โ they donโt like orange or the blue flavors, but staff keeps them on hand just in case Meru changes her mind.
![Elephant calf Meru](https://bloximages.chicago2.vip.townnews.com/tucson.com/content/tncms/assets/v3/editorial/d/cc/dccc36f0-3ef0-11ef-810c-2730afc18ccd/668eddf8e2f9c.image.jpg?resize=200%2C133 200w, https://bloximages.chicago2.vip.townnews.com/tucson.com/content/tncms/assets/v3/editorial/d/cc/dccc36f0-3ef0-11ef-810c-2730afc18ccd/668eddf8e2f9c.image.jpg?resize=300%2C200 300w, https://bloximages.chicago2.vip.townnews.com/tucson.com/content/tncms/assets/v3/editorial/d/cc/dccc36f0-3ef0-11ef-810c-2730afc18ccd/668eddf8e2f9c.image.jpg?resize=400%2C267 400w, https://bloximages.chicago2.vip.townnews.com/tucson.com/content/tncms/assets/v3/editorial/d/cc/dccc36f0-3ef0-11ef-810c-2730afc18ccd/668eddf8e2f9c.image.jpg?resize=540%2C360 540w, https://bloximages.chicago2.vip.townnews.com/tucson.com/content/tncms/assets/v3/editorial/d/cc/dccc36f0-3ef0-11ef-810c-2730afc18ccd/668eddf8e2f9c.image.jpg?resize=750%2C500 750w, https://bloximages.chicago2.vip.townnews.com/tucson.com/content/tncms/assets/v3/editorial/d/cc/dccc36f0-3ef0-11ef-810c-2730afc18ccd/668eddf8e2f9c.image.jpg?resize=1200%2C800 1200w, https://bloximages.chicago2.vip.townnews.com/tucson.com/content/tncms/assets/v3/editorial/d/cc/dccc36f0-3ef0-11ef-810c-2730afc18ccd/668eddf8e2f9c.image.jpg?resize=1700%2C1133 1700w)
Meru is still learning to use her trunk. She loves ice cubes and is interested in bits of watermelon.
โFor the most part, sheโs trying to use her trunk to pick things up and put in her mouth, which is hard for baby elephants because itโs a little bit of a spaghetti noodle but itโs getting to be a more coordinated effort,โ Eisenbarthย says.
As Meru is getting familiar with using her trunk, one of the things the 4-month-old loves is when keepers cup water in their hands so she can suck it up.
โYou feel the suction of her little trunk in your hand,โ Eisenbarthย says. โItโs one of those things that makes your day.โ
Beyond the Gatorade, Meru is also interested in ice cubes and chopped-up pieces of watermelon, though sheโs still face planting into food as she learns how to eat it.
![Elephant calf Meru](https://bloximages.chicago2.vip.townnews.com/tucson.com/content/tncms/assets/v3/editorial/d/19/d19e8850-3ef0-11ef-bce3-e72d15c8034a/668edde62b638.image.jpg?resize=200%2C133 200w, https://bloximages.chicago2.vip.townnews.com/tucson.com/content/tncms/assets/v3/editorial/d/19/d19e8850-3ef0-11ef-bce3-e72d15c8034a/668edde62b638.image.jpg?resize=300%2C200 300w, https://bloximages.chicago2.vip.townnews.com/tucson.com/content/tncms/assets/v3/editorial/d/19/d19e8850-3ef0-11ef-bce3-e72d15c8034a/668edde62b638.image.jpg?resize=400%2C267 400w, https://bloximages.chicago2.vip.townnews.com/tucson.com/content/tncms/assets/v3/editorial/d/19/d19e8850-3ef0-11ef-bce3-e72d15c8034a/668edde62b638.image.jpg?resize=540%2C360 540w, https://bloximages.chicago2.vip.townnews.com/tucson.com/content/tncms/assets/v3/editorial/d/19/d19e8850-3ef0-11ef-bce3-e72d15c8034a/668edde62b638.image.jpg?resize=750%2C500 750w, https://bloximages.chicago2.vip.townnews.com/tucson.com/content/tncms/assets/v3/editorial/d/19/d19e8850-3ef0-11ef-bce3-e72d15c8034a/668edde62b638.image.jpg?resize=1200%2C800 1200w, https://bloximages.chicago2.vip.townnews.com/tucson.com/content/tncms/assets/v3/editorial/d/19/d19e8850-3ef0-11ef-bce3-e72d15c8034a/668edde62b638.image.jpg?resize=1700%2C1133 1700w)
As Meru turns 4 months old, she loves flopping around in mud.
Since Meru was only a week old, sheโs loved rolling around in mud โ and that certainly hasnโt changed as she has now started to explore the โbig kid wallowโ as the keepers call it. (Zoo staff recently put a new kind of clay inside the mud wallows, so if you see a red-covered Meru running around the habitat, thatโs why.)
โLately, she got into the big wallow, which we make sure is safe for her, but Semba and all the other elephants are very attentive, too,โ Eisenbarthย says. โItโs an exciting milestone for her and it gives her another opportunity to stay cool. Itโs also really fun to watch โ the wallow is a social thing for elephants. Itโs like a watering hole.โ
Oftentimes, when one elephant starts to wallow, another will join in.
Reid Park Zoo's elephant herd loves flopping around in the mud wallows.ย
โ(Meru) is a little social butterfly these days and is getting a lot of time with the whole herd,โ Eisenbarthย says. โSemba has taken that time for much-needed naps during the day and Meru is being babysat by Lungile and her two sisters.โ
Social interaction is important for elephants, and Semba is choosing to take some time away from Meru to allow the baby to play with the rest of the herd.
โNandi loves (Meru) and sheโll let her use the shade of her body to keep her cool,โ Eisenbarthย says. โWith Penzi, (Meru) is really starting to play and get into those play sessions and Penzi is letting her do that.โ
![Elephant calf Meru](https://bloximages.chicago2.vip.townnews.com/tucson.com/content/tncms/assets/v3/editorial/f/fd/ffd57490-3ef0-11ef-9202-bb6a18aeace1/668ede33ae1aa.image.jpg?resize=200%2C133 200w, https://bloximages.chicago2.vip.townnews.com/tucson.com/content/tncms/assets/v3/editorial/f/fd/ffd57490-3ef0-11ef-9202-bb6a18aeace1/668ede33ae1aa.image.jpg?resize=300%2C200 300w, https://bloximages.chicago2.vip.townnews.com/tucson.com/content/tncms/assets/v3/editorial/f/fd/ffd57490-3ef0-11ef-9202-bb6a18aeace1/668ede33ae1aa.image.jpg?resize=400%2C267 400w, https://bloximages.chicago2.vip.townnews.com/tucson.com/content/tncms/assets/v3/editorial/f/fd/ffd57490-3ef0-11ef-9202-bb6a18aeace1/668ede33ae1aa.image.jpg?resize=540%2C360 540w, https://bloximages.chicago2.vip.townnews.com/tucson.com/content/tncms/assets/v3/editorial/f/fd/ffd57490-3ef0-11ef-9202-bb6a18aeace1/668ede33ae1aa.image.jpg?resize=750%2C500 750w, https://bloximages.chicago2.vip.townnews.com/tucson.com/content/tncms/assets/v3/editorial/f/fd/ffd57490-3ef0-11ef-9202-bb6a18aeace1/668ede33ae1aa.image.jpg?resize=1200%2C800 1200w, https://bloximages.chicago2.vip.townnews.com/tucson.com/content/tncms/assets/v3/editorial/f/fd/ffd57490-3ef0-11ef-9202-bb6a18aeace1/668ede33ae1aa.image.jpg?resize=1700%2C1133 1700w)
Meru sticks her trunk into mom Sembaโs mouth. This is a social greeting for elephants, and also teaches Meru what kind of foods are appropriate to eat.
When Meru was born, Penzi wasnโt her little sisterโs biggest fan, but that's improving month by month. You might even see the calf sticking her trunk into the mouths of other elephants, including Penzi โ it's a social greeting that also teaches Meru what kinds of foods are appropriate to eat.
โ(Penzi is) learning that Meru is not as scary as she thought and that she can still get attention from the herd members and that they donโt have to compete as much,โ Eisenbarth says.
And if you hear a little squeak of a trumpet next time you visit the zoo, it just might be baby Meru.
โAll of the elephants get a little startled when a bird lands too close to them or a squirrel runs by, and Meru did that recently,โ Eisenbarthย says. โShe let out a little trumpet, a little squeak, and kinda moved away from what she got startled by. Sheโs learning to use her ears to show sheโs a big elephant and trying to scare something away. The little squeaky trumpets are still happening and theyโre so cute.โ
![Elephant calf Meru](https://bloximages.chicago2.vip.townnews.com/tucson.com/content/tncms/assets/v3/editorial/1/0d/10d15a02-3ef1-11ef-a3f5-f7e9091b8c1a/668ede5033341.image.jpg?resize=200%2C133 200w, https://bloximages.chicago2.vip.townnews.com/tucson.com/content/tncms/assets/v3/editorial/1/0d/10d15a02-3ef1-11ef-a3f5-f7e9091b8c1a/668ede5033341.image.jpg?resize=300%2C200 300w, https://bloximages.chicago2.vip.townnews.com/tucson.com/content/tncms/assets/v3/editorial/1/0d/10d15a02-3ef1-11ef-a3f5-f7e9091b8c1a/668ede5033341.image.jpg?resize=400%2C267 400w, https://bloximages.chicago2.vip.townnews.com/tucson.com/content/tncms/assets/v3/editorial/1/0d/10d15a02-3ef1-11ef-a3f5-f7e9091b8c1a/668ede5033341.image.jpg?resize=540%2C360 540w, https://bloximages.chicago2.vip.townnews.com/tucson.com/content/tncms/assets/v3/editorial/1/0d/10d15a02-3ef1-11ef-a3f5-f7e9091b8c1a/668ede5033341.image.jpg?resize=750%2C500 750w, https://bloximages.chicago2.vip.townnews.com/tucson.com/content/tncms/assets/v3/editorial/1/0d/10d15a02-3ef1-11ef-a3f5-f7e9091b8c1a/668ede5033341.image.jpg?resize=1200%2C800 1200w, https://bloximages.chicago2.vip.townnews.com/tucson.com/content/tncms/assets/v3/editorial/1/0d/10d15a02-3ef1-11ef-a3f5-f7e9091b8c1a/668ede5033341.image.jpg?resize=1700%2C1133 1700w)
When one elephant is in the mud wallow, another will usually follow.