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Wildlife in Serengeti-Park

African elephant | Loxodonta africana

The largest land mammal on Earth. In the past, elephants were spread all over Africa, today you only find them from Sudan to South Africa. They live in savannas, bush steppes, forests, wetlands and mountain slopes. It is amazing how sensitively and skillfully an African elephant can handle its trunk: it is easy for it to pick up objects. At the same time the trunk is also the smell and touch organ. Look closely, it can be turned in all directions, stretched and rolled up. The elephant regulates its body temperature on hot days by waving its huge ears and cooling the many blood vessels that run through them. When the elephant spreads its ears to the side, it increases the surface of its body by four to five square meters, which is one-sixth of its total surface area. If it also moves the ears back and forth, it accelerates the heat dissipation significantly over the whole body. Elephants are quickly afflicted by mosquitoes and parasites. Therefore, they protect themselves through a regular mud, sand and water shower. Most of the animals are covered with a dry layer of mud, which protects them against the constant sunlight.

Serengeti-Park animals: African Elephant

Elephants are herd animals, they live in groups with cows and several of their young. At about ten years, an elephant cow becomes sexually mature. The gestation time lasts 22 months, then a cub is born into the world with a weight of about 100 kilograms. During delivery, other elephant cows help by supporting the birthing cow and protecting the baby once born.
Here in the Serengeti Park, we have twice experienced the joy and miracle of birth with our elephant lady, Veri! A calf is nursed by the mother for two years. It does not use his trunk for nursing, but sucks with his mouth. You will also see a very large elephant in his own paddock. This is our elephant bull Tonga. He arrived at the Serengeti Park in 2001. For him, we built a mandatory large housing area. A full-grown elephant bull reaches impressive proportions: a shoulder height of 3.50 meters and a weight of five to six tons are normal in these animals! Maybe you are just wondering why he has an area only for himself? Bull elephants are loners and only join one herd when an elephant cow is fertile. That happens only four times a year. Elephants also choose their partner very carefully and are very picky. Elephants are endangered by the ivory trade and the restriction of their habitat by humans. In some regions of Africa, they are already extinct!