It’s a girl! Zoo welcomes baby elephant, Tula-Tu

Rose-Tu, a 30-year-old Asian elephant at the Oregon Zoo, gave birth to a healthy female baby on Feb. 1. Care staff have named the new arrival Tula-Tu, to reflect both her individual character and significance to the zoo elephant family.

“We couldn’t be happier with how everything is going so far,” said Steve Lefave, who oversees the zoo’s elephant program. “Rose knew just what to do. She helped her baby up right away. The kid was standing on her own within 15 minutes and took her first steps soon after that.”

Tula means “balance” in Sanskrit, according to Lefave, and aptly describes the harmony and stability this new baby adds to the herd — not to mention her ability to stand on her own within minutes of being born.

“Asian elephants live in matrilineal family groups, and each new member is so important — not just to the mom but to everyone in the herd,” Lefave said.

“Rose is a fantastic mom,” Lefave said. “She’s so gentle and protective, and the calf is already nursing well. Rose has been ‘eating for two’ for quite some time now, and when her baby was born, we increased her diet to support lactation. We’ve added some alfalfa to the menu recently, and she has been loving it.”

For more zoo news, visit oregonzoo.org. To see video of Rose-Tu’s new baby, go to bit.ly/RoseTuBaby.