Elephants at the Rio Grande Zoo

The Rio Grande Zoo has five Asian elephants, the smaller of the elephant species.

 

Asian elephants are an endangered species due to habitat loss, human/elephant conflict and poaching. Only about 30,000 Asian elephants remain in the wild. That's a smaller population than the towns of Roswell, Farmington, Alamagordo, or Clovis, NM!

 

The ABQ BioPark and other AZA-accredited zoos are committed to conserving Asian elephants. The Elephant Species Survival Plan is a conservation plan that includes veterinary research, public education, and field conservation projects. AZA-accredited zoos work together when breeding elephants to ensure the highest genetic diversity possible.

 

The elephants at the BioPark have a team of elephant experts committed to pampering the herd.  From daily baths, to special foot care, to personally planned and developed exercise routines, BioPark elephants receive customized care that caters to each individual’s needs.

 

 

Did you know?

• Asian elephants can reach 10 feet tall at the shoulder and weigh about 4 tons.
• Asian elephants have smaller ears than African elephants, as well as a domed forehead and a rounded back.
• Elephants are herbivores and eat 150-300 pounds of food a day. Their diets include grass, leaves, fruit and bark. Elephants can drink 26-80 gallons of water a day.
• Elephants communicate using chirps, roars and trumpets that we can hear.  They also use infrasound, which is too low pitched for humans to detect.  Infrasound can be heard by elephants several miles away from each other.

 

The elephant calf has arrived!

Rozie, who was born at the Rio Grande Zoo on November 8, 1992, gave birth to a female calf on September 2, 2009.

Elephants have a gestation period of 22-24 months. Rozie underwent extensive pre-natal care and regular exams to check the health of the calf. This calf is an important addition to the North American population of elephants and to the worldwide work being done to conserve this amazing species.

Weather and baby's energy permitting, visitors can usually see Rozie and baby, Daizy, in the main elephant yard from 10am to 12 noon and 2 to 4pm daily.  Read more about the newest addition to the Zoo’s elephant herd here.