Autumn is often associated with "the season of hearty appetites." Some people may be worried about their weight due to overindulging in delicious food. This increased appetite during this time of year, as winter approaches, is a common behavior not only among humans but also among animals. Anura, a male Asian Elephant at Tama Zoo also experiences an increased appetite during this period, although his annual pattern differs slightly from that of humans.

Around September or October, when the summer heat subsides, Anura enters a period called "musto." Musto is a physiological phenomenon seen in adult male elephants, and although the degree varies from individual to individual, their appetite decreases sharply during this period. When Anura enters musto, his appetite decreases and he becomes noticeably thinner.


Anura steps onto the weighing scale
In October 2017, Anura moved to the new Asian Elephant enclosure (Notice 1, Notice 2), making it possible to regularly weigh Anura (the new Asian Elephant enclosure is currently under construction and not open to the public).

I've been in charge of Anura's care for seven years now. For many years, I've wondered how much weight she loses during the Musto period, but with the new facility, I've been able to accurately measure the changes over time.


Anura's weight progression (2019)
Outside of Musto, Anura's weight usually hovers around 3,800 to 3,900 kilograms. This year, as with Musto, her appetite decreased, and her weight decreased every time we weighed her (it was so low that we were worried about how low it would go...). In late October, towards the end of Musto, her weight finally dropped below 3,600 kg. Roughly speaking, that's a weight loss of nearly 200 to 300 kilograms compared to when Musto was not in effect.

Even though their appetite decreases during Musto (a period of severe winter), they don't stop eating altogether; they still consume tens of kilograms of food every day (incidentally, outside of Musto, they eat nearly 80 kilograms of food a day). This fluctuation in weight is astonishing, but it also highlights the difficulty of maintaining such a large body for an elephant. I was once again amazed by the sheer scale of an elephant with such a large body.

Now that November has arrived (2019) and Mustu is over, Anura's appetite and weight are gradually increasing. As of mid-November, when I'm writing this, she's back up to nearly 3,800 kg. That's an increase of almost 200 kg in just one month.

Anura, an elderly elephant who will turn an estimated 67 next January, is enjoying a slightly delayed "autumn appetite," and seeing her figure return to normal brought a sense of relief. Although you won't be able to see Anura directly until the new Asian Elephant enclosure is completed, she is doing well in the new facility.

[Tatsuya Ito, Animal Care and Exhibition Staff, South Tama Zoo]

(November 29, 2019)