Tom, our Asian elephant

At PAL, Tom our Asian elephant lives with Nina his mother, Kavery his maternal grandmother and Acra the matriarch of the group. In February 2019, he was able to meet a new male elephant, Upali. Even if the first reconciliations were shy, today he stays with him and the rest of the group every day.

Tom eats horse pellets, whole branches (or sometimes just leaves and bark depending on the species), hay and food supplements (to prevent deficiencies). Meals vary according to the seasons and their needs.

Tom is very curious, he tries to create contact with his healers by touching them with his trunk. As he does that with the other elephants, why not with my healers? Unfortunately, an elephant's trunk can be very dangerous, so caregivers are always in "protected contact" to avoid getting caught by Tom's trunk.

Tom does medical training with his caregivers every day. He already knows all the exercises that adults do: taking blood, examining teeth and tongue, weighing, showering and even taking a rectal exam (to rehydrate in the event of a herpes attack, for example). Acquiring all of these behaviors facilitates the implementation of veterinary care.

As he has to go to another park when he is old enough, his caretakers speak to him in English, since it is a "universal" language. They are already preparing him for departure by teaching him exercises that will be useful for transport!

The PAL NATURE FOUNDATION supports many associations that work to help local populations live with Asian elephants, StandUp4Elephants, Awely or Le Pic Vert.

Did you know ?

Tom is used to being weighed regularly. He will still grow and gain weight to reach around 5 tons as an adult!