As the ground shook in Southern California’s 5.2 magnitude earthquake on Monday, a herd of elephants at the San Diego Zoo Safari Park homed in on their young to protect them from the tumult.
Five African elephants reside at the park, two of them 7-year-old calves. Initially they all scattered before circling back into a huddle, with the grown-ups encircling the youngsters, the zoo’s video surveillance showed.
One of the calves ran to the matriarchs for shelter, while the other had to be coaxed into the circle. Adults Ndlula, Umngani and Khosi then faced outward in separate directions, vigilant with ears flared and flapping, to enclose the juveniles in an “alert circle,” the zoo said on social media.
They stayed that way for several minutes, even after the ground had stopped shaking, keeping calves Zuli and Mkhaya safe. When an aftershock hit about an hour later, the tableau briefly reformed.
“Elephants have the unique ability to feel sounds through their feet and formed what is known as an ‘alert circle’ during the 5.2 magnitude earthquake that shook Southern California this morning,” zoo officials captioned a Facebook reel. “This behavior, demonstrated here by Ndlula, Zuli, Mkhaya, Umngani and Khosi, is a natural response to perceived threats that helps protect younger elephants and the herd as a whole.”
The quake hit at 10:08 a.m. Monday, the U.S. Geological Survey said, its epicenter 2.49 miles south of Julian in San Diego County. It had been preceded by a 3.3-magnitude foreshock on Sunday, seismologist Dr. Lucy Jones told KCBS. No one was injured in the quake, which was followed by no fewer than seven aftershocks, and no major damage was reported.
“It’s so great to see them doing the thing we all should be doing,” Albright said of the protective elephants. “[It’s what] any parent does, which is protect their children.”
With News Wire Services
