Even baby elephants need to stay cool. A baby elephant in a pool was a big hit with children and visitors at Fort Worth's Zoo. The baby elephant, named Belle, put on quite the show.
Those who stopped by the Texas zoo on Tuesday got quite a laugh when zoo officials added a kiddie pool to the elephants' enclosure for baby Belle's enjoyment. The newborn elephant could be seen rolling around and jumping into the pool as her mother stood by. The baby elephant had so much fun that it nearly splashed all the water out of the pool, requiring a zookeeper to break out a hose to try to refill it.
Baby Belle was born on July 7. She is only the second Asian elephant to be born at the Fort Worth zoo in its 104-year history. According to zoo spokeswoman Katie Giangreco, Belle weighed 330 pounds when she was born and has gained two pounds per day ever since. Belle "is curious and full of personality, learning new things every day, learning what her trunk is for, learning to use her legs," Giangreco said.
Belle's birth is somewhat remarkable as Asian elephants have been endangered since 1976. Their population stands between 25,600 to 32,750 elephants. Asian elephants are very sociable and babies stay under the watch of their mothers for several years and don't start moving towards independence until age 4. Belle's mother, Rasha, was clearly keeping a close watch over her calf.
The video of the baby elephant in the pool was posted to YouTube by the zoo and has gone viral. It was posted with the caption "Baby Belle knows how to make a splash! Our 3-week-old Asian elephant enjoyed some pachyderm pool time with her mother Rasha." The video has received more than 366,000 views so far.
This article is copyrighted by Travelers Today, the travel news leader
