Eindhoven Zoo celebrates elephant Rashmi's first birthday

Asian elephant Rashmi, who lives in Eindhoven Zoo, turned one year old today and of course this is celebrated. Rashmi and the other elephants were treated to a delicious vegetable cake this morning. Before the vegetable cake could be eaten, Rashmi enjoyed playing with it..

The little elephant was given the Hindu name Rashmi by the animal caretakers at birth, which means sunlight. "Fortunately, Rashmi is doing well. He is very playful and curious and so he likes to have fun with his big sister Jing. Rashmi's mother, Htoo Yin Aye, is also very sweet to him" says head zookeeper Stephan Rijnen.

Hunting for tusks
In the wild, Asian elephants are mostly found in the forested environments of India, Sumatra and Borneo. However, the habitat of this species is becoming increasingly fragmented as forests are cut down. The animal is also being hunted by poachers because of their tusks. They are therefore endangered in the wild.

Eindhoven Zoo therefore cooperates in the European management program for the Asian elephant. The goal of this program is to keep the population healthy. Eindhoven Zoo also supports Stichting Wildlife. This foundation is dedicated to the conservation of elephants in India, among other things.

Clumsy
Young elephants are very clumsy with their trunks at first. For example, they accidentally step on their trunk and do not yet know quite what to do with it. As they get older, they learn to use their trunk better and better. For example, after about six to eight months they learn to eat and drink with their trunk. After a year, they can control their trunk fairly well and, like adult elephants, can also use their trunk to grab things and shower.