I'm divided on the whole "zoo thing." Majestic wild animals, sometimes kept in cramped, psychologically-damaging conditions, don't quite trump my desire to look at them up close. It might have something to do with a week-long protest I witnessed back in college where an undergrad locked herself inside a cage on a lawn across from the administration building to draw attention to the plight of the country's "incarcerated tiger population."

Ok, I'm lying. I thought that was hilarious. Zoos make me nervous because all the cages remind me of where I have to spend forty or more hours a week.

But the one/two combo of real, live beasts from faraway lands and unbridled cuteness outweighed my reservations during a day-off from work yesterday. I went to see the new addition to the Asian elephant exhibit at the Oregon Zoo.

(shut-up nagging, uber-liberal conscience)

Awwwwwwwww!

The dim lighting inside the viewing area really messed with my camera, thus the decision to go with black and white.

For those who haven't witnessed the constant local news coverage, this little guy, who will be officially named tomorrow, was born three weeks ago.

A few factoids about elephant calves I didn't know until 3 PM yesterday:

They're supposedly born without eyelids, thus explaining why the calf has a constant dazed expression usually reserved for hungover, insomniac air traffic controllers.

Three week-old baby elephants weigh 325 pounds. Or at least this one did as of yesterday. He's put on 39 pounds since his birthday.

The enclosure where mother and calf are being viewed by the public had to be "baby-proofed."

The fourteen year-old Rose-Tu is the calf's mother, making her in human years a teenage mother. Sarah Palin would no doubt approve before jumping into a plane to shoot at both mother and son. See, I told you this wasn't a GOP endorsement.

While I was in there Rose-Tu yanked on the bars a bit and her calf soon followed suit after she lost interest. I can only assume that they're plotting their escape. Once the baby is old enough, I bet they're going to make a break for it and write a tell-all about their time in that cell. After all, if you lived in an enclosure with several dozen ton roommates who poop all over the place, wouldn't you hit the road?

And here's a color photo of a sleeping tiger who was probably glad all the zoo's visitors were hanging around the elephant exhibit.

Tiger: "That undergrad can cram it. This soooo beats hustling in the backwoods of Thailand. Zzzzzzz."

Until they show up on the Today Show to promote that book, here's a sideways You Tube video of the little guy bein' all adorable and workin' his mojo for the crowd. Not having a video editor on my laptop really messes with my ability to post right-side-up clips.

Labels: anipals