Bangka
Bangka was born in 2000 and is the mother of Faya and Radjik
Asian elephant
The Asian elephant is Asia's largest land animal, and with its thick grey skin and long trunk, it's one of the world's most recognized creatures. Did you know an elephant's trunk contains about 100,000 muscles? Yet, this powerhouse needs our help to survive. Their natural habitat is severely impacted and fragmented due to increasing deforestation and urbanization. That's why Rotterdam Zoo, as the coordinator of the European population management program, is dedicated to protecting the elephant.
60 - 70 years
♀ 2.5 meters
♂ 3 meters
5.5 - 6.5 meters
♀ 3,000 - 4,000 kilograms
♂ up to 6,000 kilograms
Asian elephants are large, sturdily built animals. They differ from their African relatives with their smaller ears, rounded backs and their trunk, which has one ‘finger’ at the end. Both species of African elephants have two. In the Asian elephant, usually only males have visible tusks.
...the elephant uses its trunk as a snorkel when swimming?
...a male elephant is called a 'bull' and a female is referred to as a 'cow'?
Asian elephants are native to Southeast Asia. Nowadays, they can be found in India, Nepal, Bangladesh, Myanmar, Thailand, Cambodia, Vietnam, Malaysia and Indonesia. There are some differences between mainland and island Asian elephants where they occur. Therefore, these elephants belong to different subspecies.
Asian elephants live in family groups led by the ‘matriarch’, usually the oldest female in the group. Males live on their own or in small male groups. Together, they travel long distances in search of food. They eat an average of 16 hours a day, which amounts to an average of 100 - 150 kilos of plants. All that eating causes old plants to make way for new ones. While eating, the elephants also fertilise the plants right away. Undigested seeds in the dung, which have travelled with the elephant, can also germinate in a new place. Elephants are therefore essential to their habitat.
Foraging for food and water is becoming increasingly difficult for Asian elephants as the forests and grasslands where they live become smaller and smaller. In addition, more and more barriers are forming between the different areas where they live, including roads, tracks, plantations and cities. As a result, elephants increasingly come into contact with people, which often leads to problems. For example, elephants eat farmers' crops for lack of natural food. Those farmers in turn try to chase the elephants away for that. This creates conflicts between humans and elephants.
For people and elephants to coexist peacefully, it is important to reconnect elephant habitats. This is done with so-called ‘corridors’ - green connections that cross obstacles such as roads. To measure the effectiveness of these connections, Rotterdam Zoo is conducting research in India. Using DNA samples from dung, the researchers analyse which elephants are present in which area and thus also whether animals have crossed over from other areas. This way, we know better and better how to protect the Asian elephant.
The Asian elephants at Rotterdam Zoo have a spacious enclosure, where a lot of variety is provided for the elephants. The elephants have several toys and a number of feeding troughs where they can use their trunks to get hay. Outside, the elephants also have a water feature to cool off on hot summer days. Their indoor enclosure has a sand floor so the elephants can sleep on a soft surface.
Discover the latest news about the Asian elephant.
