Asian elephant

Females form herds of related cows and their calves, led by a matriarch, which is usually the eldest. Bull elephants may join a herd short-term to mate.

All our elephants at the Zoo are females. Our current matriarch is Komali. She is our only Sri Lankan elephant (you can tell by the pink spots on her trunk and ears). The matriarch-in-training, Jati, has an even temperament. Gambir is our playful artist-in-residence. Sumatran elephants Intan and Aprila are the same age and half-sisters.

Our first elephant, Anusha, came from Sri Lanka on a steamer in 1973. She only understood Sinhalese and our keepers had to learn the language. Though Komali is the only Sri Lankan in our current herd the Sinhalese tradition continues to this day.

"Pijit" — meaning "stop it" — is one of the 18 verbal commands used. If you overhear it, it's probably because one of our elephants had been overly 'nosy' with her trunk!

The elephant’s trunk functions like a fifth limb. If any part of their bodies is hurting, the elephants might use their trunks or tails to soothe it. Our keepers keep a keen eye out for such tell-tale signs first thing in the morning, when the stables are cleared of food (and poop!) from the night before. Next up, the elephants get their daily full-body scrubs. This is another chance for keepers to check on their health while strengthening their bond with them.