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Elephant Herd |
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Elephant Program |
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Rose-Tu
Elephant Babies |
Asian Elephants |
National Elephant Center
Rose-Tu
Rose-Tu was the most recent elephant born at the Oregon Zoo. She was born on Aug. 31, 1994. Her
parents were Hugo and Me-Tu, who have since died. Rose-Tu had a twin that died shortly after
birth. In the herd, Rose-Tu and Chendra are close in age and share a strong friendship. Rose-Tu
has her father’s personality. Highly intelligent and playful, she is always looking to
tease her herd-mates and keepers. Weighing about 7,000 pounds, she is the second-smallest
elephant in the herd, after Chendra.
Chendrawasih
Chendrawasih — Chendra for short — means “bird of paradise” in Malay.
Chendra arrived at the Oregon Zoo on Nov. 20, 1999, from Malaysia, where she was born in 1993.
Wildlife officials had found her — orphaned, alone and hungry — near a palm-oil
plantation on the island of Borneo. She had wounds on her front legs and left eye, which
ultimately left her blind in that eye. Because of the injuries and her age, Chendra was a poor
candidate for relocation and release back into the wild. It was clear she would always be
dependent on humans for her survival. Oregon Zoo officials traveled to Malaysia and accompanied
Chendra on her journey to her new home in Portland. Since her arrival, Chendra has benefited
greatly from being a member of the zoo herd. Elephants are very social animals and Chendra has
formed strong bonds with the other females, especially Rose-Tu, who is close to her in age.
Chendra is the smallest elephant at the zoo, weighing “only” around 3,500 pounds.
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