Point Defiance Zoo & Aquarium Advice needed, elephant experts?

[kc7gr]

Fellow zoogoers, I could use a second opinion on something I saw today, while visiting PDZA, which bothered me quite a bit.

While passing the elephant yard, it seemed empty at first. Then, a large shape which I had initially taken for a rock formation moved. Their elephant was lying down, on his/her side (is it a male or female they have?), and the only movement I could see was breathing.

I know very little about pachyderms, but I seem to recall hearing that such behavior, on the part of any elephant other than, perhaps, the very young, is not normal. This same memory informs me an elephant's innards will literally self-compress under their own weight (fatally so?) if the animal stays flat down.

The one staff person I asked seem to think it was 'normal' for this particular animal. Lacking further info, I cannot agree.

So -- Elephant experts, now's your chance! Help me out here? Was I panicking needlessly, or did I see something the zoo wouldn't want to discuss?

Thanks much.

 

[snowleopard]

I am only a zoo fan and not a zoo worker, but I've visited the Point Defiance Zoo 3 times this year and I often see stereotypy from the two aging female Asian elephants there. I attended one of the keeper chats and was told that both of the elephants come from abusive backgrounds where they were badly mistreated. Apparently one of the elephants "attempts to kill its keeper at least once a week", which is an intriguing statement to give to a random member of the public. In my 6 lifetime visits to the Point Defiance Zoo I've seen one of the elephants lying on its side on at least 2-3 occasions and I have no idea why it chooses to do that.

 

[siamang27]

I'm no expert, but that doesn't seem normal and I haven't heard of elephants doing that until now.
I too am surprised that they openly admit one of the elephants atempts to kill its keeper, that isn't something I would imagine many zoos revealing to the public...

 

[jwer]

Radza, Emmen Zoo's male elephant lies down daily on his side and takes a nap. According to Emmen Zoo, it shows the animal is at ease with it's environment and Radza rests his massive head and tusks on the ground just for the comfort of it.

There's quite a lot pictures of him doing it, and he looks completely comfortable. I haven't seen many other elephants do this, but i can imagine elderly elephants would.

I don't think it's anything to worry about. As far as i know, the compression of organs upon themselves only occurs on water-mammals (i.e. whales) when they are on dry land.

 

[Steve Robinson]

We humans are strange animals. We worry about animals that move around a lot - concerned about stereotypy. And now here is one of us panicking because an old animal lays down a lot!

In my experience, elephants of all ages will lie down and sleep very deeply if they are at ease with their surroundings. I have seen this many, many times in the circus and have seen lots of pics of the Taronga eles doing the same. Sometimes, if there is a herd of the animals, one will stay awake and upright while the others sleep.

While they are quite happy to lay down on flat ground, larger [and older] elephants often prefer a mound of earth to lie against to assist them in rising again.

Experienced animal people will always talk or sing while working around sleeping animals to lessen the possibility of the animals being startled by their proximity when they wake up.

 

[BlackRhino]

Elephants lie on their sides often no matter what the age. I remember a keeper at the SDWAP telling me that Mary, an Asian elephant who use to live at the WAP, use to lay on her side all the time. The reason why it probably seemed so strange is because elephants usually only lay on their side at night when they go into a deep sleep.