5 baby elephants were born at the Prague Zoo. Amalee was the last of them
Last week, the Prague Zoo was plunged into sadness. Miss Amalee, only two years old, succumbed to a sudden and violent illness. So far, she was the last elephant to join the Prague Zoo. Just before her, Lacuna was born in 2020, and the two elephant girls quickly became friends. A total of 5 baby elephants have been born in Prague since 2013.
The Prague Zoo has been raising elephants since 1993. After Amalee’s death, only eight of them live in Elephant Valley. The oldest member of the herd is a female Gulabwhich he acquired in 1966 and is the second longest living animal here.
In the picture of Gulab the elephant:
Gulab the elephant will celebrate his 50th birthday on Saturday.
Author: Prague Zoo
In addition to Janita, Tamara, Max, Rudi, Lacuna and Ankhor, the female Shanti, who starred in the movie with Mr. Tau – Alarm in the Clouds, also lives in the garden.
Amalee was born to the elephant Janita shortly before two o’clock in the morning on May 9, 2020. They waited two months to give birth at the Prague Zoo. The father of the baby elephant was the male Ankhor. Amalee was the youngest elephant in the Prague Zoo. Unfortunately, she did not live long, she succumbed to a disease known as elephant herpes on Friday. The disease mainly affects young children and has a rapid course. As in many cases, immediate treatment cannot help Amalee.
“Scientists are still learning more about the fatal disease that the female elephant Amalee succumbed to and vaccine development is only at an early stage,” said the director of the Prague Zoo, Miroslav Bobek.
Amalee.
Author: Petr Hamerník, Prague Zoo
Before noon, Amalee met her friend Lacuna. In the afternoon she lay down in the stable and refused to get up despite the help of the other elephants. She didn’t respond to anyone anymore. After half an hour she suddenly got up and was active. Despite a blood donation from the elephant Shanti and the administration of medication, she succumbed to her illness shortly after midnight on Friday. “All the elephants had the opportunity to say ‘goodbye,’ including Gulab and Shanti, who they normally do not share with others,” the zoo said on its website.
The disease affects most often young animals from 2 to 11 years. In some cases, the disease has also occurred in older elephants, in which case the course of the disease is milder. Deceit herpes virus rests in particular at speed. An animal can die within hours, even minutes. The fact that there is no cure yet, which would act quickly and efficiently. The only and strong protection of baby elephants against is mother’s milk, which strengthens their immunity. However, this is not always enough. Amalee was the fifth baby elephant born in Prague.
The elephant princess Amalee (pictured) and the older female Lakuna enjoy swimming in the pool, frolicking in the sand and mud.
Author: Tereza Mrhálková, Prague Zoo
Just six weeks before Amalee, the female Lakuna was born in 2020 in the Prague Zoo. The name Elephant Princess comes from Sinhalese, which is the language spoken in Sri Lanka and translates to “sign”. Lacuna’s mother is the Indian elephant Tamara, who has lived in the Prague Zoo since 2012. The cub’s father is the 37-year-old male Ankhor, who was also the father of Amalee. From her mother, Lacuna inherited a very communicative, inquisitive nature.
Amalee and Lacuna.
Author: Petr Hamerník, Prague Zoo
The male Maxmilián entered the history of the Prague Zoo with his birth. It is named after the Habsburg emperor from the 16th century, who had the first elephant transported to Central Europe. Max is the first ever baby elephant to be conceived in Prague. He was born on April 5, 2016 to mother Janita, who was brought to the zoo from Sri Lanka. Janita did not accept the first-born Max, she even started attacking him, which is quite normal for a first-time mother. Therefore, the elephant was immediately dragged to safety and, after removing the fetal envelopes, drying and weighing, gradually brought closer to the mother so that she could get used to her. After a few hours, everything was running smoothly.
Zoo: Elephants and their occurrence in Bohemia Videohub
The father of the elephant is Mekong, until 2014 the only male in the Prague Zoo. Since there is not too much interest in the local females, he was transferred to Zoo Amsterdam. After all, before his departure, he took the initiative and gave birth to the first ever elephant Maxmilian. Max has a great character in his life, according to the breeder great self-confidence, he is penetratinghe is afraid of almost nothing and throws himself headlong into everything.
Maxmilián is one of the few elephants who were born in Prague.
Author: Jana Myslivečková/Zoo Prague
Rudolph the elephant (Rudi or Ruda) was born on October 7, 2016 in Prague. His parents are Tamara and Ankhor. The name of the second Prague cub was voted on. The people decided that it would bear the name after Emperor Rudolph II., who kept many exotic animals at court during his reign. Compared to Max, he is calmer, more cautious and doesn’t like change.
The name of the second Prague cub was voted on – the public chose the name Rudolf, after the famous Habsburg emperor. (illustrative photo)
Author: Karel Kopáč
Sita the elephant was born on February 11, 2013 as the very first cub of the Prague Zoo. Mother Donna came to Prague Zoo from Rotterdam in May 2012 and gave birth here in February 2013. Sita and her mother Donna had to leave the Prague elephant group in 2017. Because Donna the elephant did not fit into the herd. She lived in a subordinate role for several years and eventually became, without exaggeration, an insidious attacker. Now both elephants live in a zoo in Osnabrück, Germany.
On the right, Sita, on the left, a pregnant Tamara is huddled behind a bush.
Author: Daniel Vitous
The elephant princess Amalee (pictured) and the older female Lakuna enjoy swimming in the pool, frolicking in the sand and mud.
Author: Tereza Mrhálková, Prague Zoo