Asian Elephant Calf Linh Mai Takes Her First Swim, Displaying Off Her Pachyderm Paddle

Look who’s studying to “elephant paddle!” 

Linh Mai, our 5-month-old Asian elephant calf, reached a significant milestone this week: child’s first swim! 

Our courageous “spirit blossom” entered the 5.5-foot-deep finish of the out of doors pool for the very first time July 15. In true herd mentality, Linh Mai waited till all elephant care group “lifeguards”—curator and elephant supervisor Robbie Clark and assistant curators Jason Gue and Megan Mrozinski—have been within the pool earlier than taking the pachyderm plunge. 

The group cheered her on, held her trunk above water (like a snorkel) and gently guided her to the shallow aspect of the pool—earlier than she dove in once more! 

Until this week, the deepest Linh Mai had ventured into the pool was about 2.5 ft, within the Elephant Community Center. Still, the calf—who’s 3’10” tall on the shoulder and weighs a sturdy 824 kilos—appears to essentially relish splashing round. 

“There are days where she will get in and out of the pool for hours,” says Clark. “Then, she tuckers herself out and falls asleep on the sand.” 

Keeper Amanda Bobyack, who watched the pool occasion from a close-by keeper statement space, mentioned studying to swim and navigate to shore is vital for Linh Mai. 

“Elephants are born kind of like us—everything they know is learned behavior,” Bobyack says. “Her learning that she can float and get out of the pool if she finds herself in a precarious situation is so important.”  Bobyack says this milestone is pivotal for permitting Linh Mai to discover out of doors habitats with swimming pools safely when she is together with her aunties, Swarna and Bozie, and pop Spike. 

Come say ‘hi’ to Linh Mai! Join us August 7–9 for EleFest, a weekend celebration of elephants, tradition, conservation and group main as much as World Elephant Day on August 12. Bring your loved ones, spend a day with the elephant herd and learn the way Zoo science helps wildlife conservation world wide. Reserve your free Zoo entry cross right here.