Oregon, USA – The Oregon Zoo’s adorable baby elephant Tula-Tu celebrated a special brunch last week with her mom and aunties, munching on a forest of fresh bamboo planted throughout their outdoor habitat.

“Eating familiar foods in new ways brings out the herd’s natural instinct to work together,” said Steve Lefave, who oversees the zoo’s elephant area. “It’s especially fun for Tula-Tu, who’s still learning to use her trunk.”

Tula-Tu, who turned 1 last month, plucked and chewed several bamboo branches while still nursing from her mom, Rose-Tu. Care staff noted she enjoys a variety of foods and continues to grow quickly, tipping the scale at 1,030 pounds last week.

“A thousand pounds sounds like a lot for a toddler, but it’s still small for an elephant,” Lefave said. “Her mom weighs over 7,500 pounds and her dad is over 10,000, so Tula’s got a lot of growing to do.”

Asian elephants eat between 165 and 330 pounds of food each day. At the zoo, they enjoy hay, fruits, vegetables, and bamboo. The bamboo for this special forest was donated by the Hoyt Arboretum in honor of Tula-Tu’s first birthday.

The bamboo forest is part of the Oregon Zoo’s long-standing environmental enrichment program, which provides stimulating activities and objects to promote animal well-being. The zoo has led in elephant care for over 60 years and maintains a $1 million endowment supporting Asian elephants and conservation across their 13 range countries.

Podcast: Play in new window | Download