Thai Celebrates A Milestone Birthday
This year, one of the Houston Zoo’s oldest residents, male Asian elephant Thailand, is having a milestone birthday! Today, Thai turns 60 years old and we celebrated all weekend long.
Thailand first came to the Houston Zoo in June 1980. Before his arrival, he was part of a circus act that involved 5 male elephants and was owned by a private owner in Washington. When he arrived at the Zoo, he joined female Asian elephant, Indu. Methai, our current matriarch, joined Thai and Indu the following year in 1981. This month also marks his 45th year of being a Houston resident, making him one of the Zoo’s longest residents.
Currently, Thai lives with 12 other elephants, 8 females and 4 males. At age 60, he is the second oldest and one of the most prolific breeding male Asian elephants in North America and has sired over 15 calves. Historically, he has bred with Indu, Methai, Shanti and Tess. Currently residing at the Houston Zoo, he is the father to six elephants (Tupelo, Joy, Tilly, Nelson, Teddy and Kirby) and the grandfather to one (Winnie). Breeding is an important part of the Asian elephant SSP (Species Survival Plan) and he takes his role seriously.
Although a bull elephant, Thailand is rather docile and is very tolerant of calves and younger males. Senior veterinarian, Dr. Joe Flanagan, recalls the birth of Singgah in December, 1993. At the time, veterinary staff did not monitor elephant pregnancies the way we do now, so her exact due date was unknown. Keeper staff were surprised to come in one morning to discover a baby elephant in the exhibit with Methai and Thailand! He has this same attitude regarding babies today. Most recently he met his newest daughter, Kirby, and the elephant team reports that he was mostly unimpressed.
This unlikely behavior from a male elephant has allowed Thai to be periodically housed with almost every elephant. Adult male elephants are thought to be solitary, but they will occasionally form small herds of males. These days, Thailand mostly spends time alone or with his two younger sons. However, he prefers to be alone in our off-exhibit area, and at age 60, he usually gets what he wants!
Not only is Thai good with other elephants, he’s also good for his keepers. While he prefers his female keepers to any male staff members (keepers or otherwise), Thailand engages and trains well with almost anyone. Recently, he learned a new behavior to add to his exercise routine. This “toe” behavior requires him to stretch his rear leg forward and touch his toes to the back of his front leg. He caught on relatively quickly, proving that indeed, you can “teach an old dog new tricks!”
At age 60, Thailand is considered to be a geriatric elephant. Average lifespan of Asian elephants in human care is about 46 years old. As Thai has aged, adjustments have been made to provide him with the best care at every stage of life. The Association of Zoos and Aquariums (AZA) requires that welfare assessments to be done at least annually, but Thai’s keepers do them twice a month. This allows the elephant team to notice any changes and make modifications to his care. In the last few years, staff has made changes to his diet, exercise routine, and management of his arthritis. Thai currently weighs around 11,400 lbs., but his weight has fluctuated over the years and he has been both under and over his target weight. Thailand’s teeth have aged as well, so modifying his diet to provide him with hay that is already chopped up in smaller pieces allows him to easier maintain a healthy weight. Keepers have also noticed increased stiffness in his front legs so increasing exercise sessions (elephant yoga) and adding pain medications have helped with this.
One of Thai’s favorite things to do is make a “raspberry” noise with his mouth when he wants something – water, food, or just attention! He also enjoys swimming in the pools in the exhibits – but only when no one is watching him. Otherwise, he requires an entire watermelon to be enticed in. Years ago, when Elephant Curator Rob Bernardy was a keeper, he thought he had “lost” Thailand in the exhibit. He went to check on him before leaving for the day and couldn’t find him. It’s quite hard to lose an 11,000 lb. animal, but Rob scanned the entire yard and finally saw a pair of eyes watching him from the pool. He was almost entirely submerged except for the top of his head!
Thailand is a favorite amongst staff here at the Houston Zoo. We all think he’s incredibly handsome and he just gets better with age. The pink freckling on Thai’s ears, face and trunk is a sign of aging in Asian elephants and it makes him look quite distinguished. The Houston Zoo elephant team is honored to work with Thailand daily, many of us who have done so for multiple years. This milestone birthday is not only significant in the Zoo community but also in the elephant community. Next time you visit the Houston Zoo, be sure to say hello to Thailand!
