The nighttime roaming of Asian Elephant "Anura" (male, estimated 64 years old), which began in the summer of 2014, has now entered its fourth year (Announcement from 2014).


Since Amala (female, 13 years old) and Vidura (male, 9 years old) arrived from Sri Lanka in the winter of 2012, they have been taking turns using the only exercise area, which means Anura can only be out in the exercise area for a few hours in the morning.

Therefore, we started letting Anura out at night to increase her exercise. It's been four summers since we started nighttime release, so have we seen any changes in Anura? Here's a short excerpt from the journal:

June 18, 2014 (First day of nighttime release): "Their nighttime rhythm is the same as when they are indoors. They remain calm throughout." June 19: "They rested in the pool. They are even calmer than on the first day."

Initially, they would go out to the exercise area around 5:00 PM, leisurely eat their food, doze off, and take a sand bath. Then, at dawn, they would lie down in the pool for about an hour to rest, and afterwards, they would doze off in front of the door leading back into their room...

For about four years since then, there have been various changes to the environment in the playground, such as the placement of transport crates in preparation for the move, and the placement of large logs and tires, but Anura's way of spending the nights has remained largely unchanged (related news).

This year, we installed an electric fence to prevent the elderly Anura from falling into the moat, but Anura has become so calm that it's not even necessary.

Anura has established her own pace and is not easily fazed. Even with two noisy dogs moving in next door and having to spend nights in the exercise area, Anura's routine doesn't seem to be disrupted.

Anura's nighttime release is for health management purposes, so it's not usually something you can see. However, during "Summer Night @ TamaZoo" in August, you can observe how Anura spends her nights until 8:00 PM.

This year's Summer Nights will be held for 10 days: August 11th (Fri) - 16th (Wed), 19th (Sat) and 20th (Sun), and 26th (Sat) and 27th (Sat) (Announcement). Please come and see how Anura and the other animals at Tama Zoo spend their nights.

[Tama Zoo South Garden Animal Care and Exhibition Staff, Satomi Takamura]

(August 10, 2017)