The Reid Park Zoo's Elephant Family!

Have you ever gotten close enough to see the hair on a baby elephant’s body? Reid Park Zoo guests have, three times now! The breeding herd of African Elephants at The Reid Park Zoo is led by the matriarch Litsemba and her mate, Mabu, who weighs in at more than 13,000 pounds! Since 2012 they have raised three of their calves here, to the great delight of Tucsonans. The youngest addition to the family arrived on April 6 of 2020, and little Mapenzi immediately brought much joy to the city during one of the darkest periods of the Pandemic.

Just about 30 minutes after her birth, Penzi somehow coordinated her legs to stand tall enough to nurse from Tucson’s largest Mom. Penzi, like all babies, learns by observing her family, and she has been on a steep learning curve since April of last year. A very important lesson she mastered early is that the elephant care team gives great scratches and tasty treats! You’ll usually see Penzi at her mother’s side, or just a couple trunks’ lengths away from big sister Nandi, watching her closely. It’s safe to say Nandi is her little sister’s favorite elephant. And Nandi has shown Mapenzi everything from walking backwards, to foraging for treats in the puzzle feeder walls, and just a few weeks ago, the most advanced move yet: how much fun it is to slip and slide down the hill side into the moat!

The Reid Park Zoo’s visitors and online followers have endless opportunities to observe and learn about elephants and how a breeding herd grows and lives together. The elephant expansion was carefully built with green technology, and with one thing in mind: what elephants need to take care of themselves and engage in natural behaviors. There are acres of varied terrain with shade for foraging, mud wallows, a gigantic 98,000 gallon pool and just the perfect mix of dirt mounded for dust bathing in several areas.

Also, the keepers provide enrichment – ways to keep the herd physically and mentally active every day by adding variety and surprise to this beautiful habitat. For example, they might bring in a new log or tree trunk (fun for stepping over or dragging around, or stripping the bark from it for a snack) that wasn’t there yesterday, or maybe a new type of treat hidden in surprise locations. Sometimes Mother Nature helps out too!

The Reid Park Zoo works in partnerships around the world and at home to protect wildlife and wild places. A portion of your admission and memberships dollars are set aside to help with in-situ conservation. An important part of the Zoo’s conservation funding goes to the Tanzania Conservation and Science Program to support Dr. Charles Foley’s work with the African Elephant. Also, the Zoo is happy to provide guests with information about an organization called 96-elephants. This group supports efforts against elephant poaching, and their name is based on a sad statistic: on average, 96 elephants are killed every day to support the ivory trade.

The Reid Park Zoo elephant ambassadors are safe and well cared for by their devoted animal care staff and adored by the public. However, their cousins in the wilds of Africa need our help preserving their habitat and also our protection from poaching.

Your visit to the Reid Park Zoo will help them protect these beloved creatures. Besides, you might get to see Penzi work up the nerve to go in the pool! And soon, when the Reid Park Zoo expansion becomes a reality, you will be able see how Penzi has grown, and then travel to the Pathway to Asia and see even more amazing creatures!

For more content like this, please visit reidparkzooexpansion.org.