Arun, a male Asian Elephant calf born at Ueno Zoo on October 31, 2020, is growing well.

*For information on the situation in Arun up to March 2021, please see this page.

On Thursday, April 15th, after the rain, Arun was seen playing in the mud (!!) in a puddle that had formed in Asian Elephant enclosure! He was stirring the water with his trunk and digging in the dirt with his front paws...

Adult Asian Elephant also frequently dig in the soil. They use their trunks to spray the dug-up soil all over their bodies to protect their skin from the sun or to repel insects. Sometimes they even ingest it, but it is thought that they are absorbing minerals from the soil.

Children's play contains many lessons that are essential for life.


Arun playing in the mud
(Date of photo: April 15, 2021)

[Video] Arun's Day - Playing in the Mud
(Date of photo: April 15, 2021)
Arun's main food source is still breast milk, but he's showing interest in what Uthai is eating and is gradually starting to eat solid food.

One day, when we gave Utai and Arun some bamboo shoots we'd gathered from the park, Arun showed interest, but he couldn't get his hands (or nose?) on them in the face of Utai's appetite. He managed to get the remaining skin, but he never got a chance to eat the bamboo shoot itself.

Takenoko and Utai Arun (father and son) (Date of photo: April 19, 2021)	Arun got some bamboo shoot peels. (Date of photo: April 19, 2021)

[Video] Arun's Day - Bamboo Shoot Edition
(Date of photo: April 19, 2021)
While Uthai was using his nose to spray mud all over his body, Arun was sitting and rolling around in the puddle. Both of them had completed their "mud pack." This behavior is thought to protect their skin from the sun and to repel insects.

Uthai and Arun get covered in mud		Mud pack complete (Date of photography: April 19, 2021)

[Video] Arun's Day - Mud Pack Edition
(Date of photo: April 19, 2021)
One day, when the daytime high temperature exceeded 25℃, I tried spraying Arun with water from a hose. He didn't show any fear of the water and played with it dynamically.


Arun playing in the water
(Date of photo: April 21, 2021)

[Video] Arun's Day - Bath Time
(Date of photo: April 21, 2021)
　As previously announced, construction has begun on the "Elephant Forest."

As soon as we placed a tire on the wall of the indoor exhibit, Arun came over and, as you can see, started playing with it. If you're lucky, you might be able to observe Arun playing with the tire from the viewing window.


[Video] A Day in Arun - Tire Edition
(Date of photo: May 18, 2021)
In the indoor exhibit, Arun was given a piece of Moso bamboo by animal keeper. Not only did he put the bamboo leaf in his mouth, he started swinging it around and stepping on it, and his play gradually escalated. In the end, Utai, who was eating, pushed him away with her nose as if to say he was in the way.


[Video] A Day in Arun - Bamboo Play Edition
(Date of photo: July 10, 2021)
With the construction of the enclosure complete, we reopened the outdoor exhibit for Asian Elephant on August 12th. It was also the first time in a while that we weighed Arun. We used apples and peanuts to lure him onto the scale, and he weighed a whopping 430kg! That's an increase of 130kg since the last weighing on March 29th.


Arun's weight
(Photo taken on August 12th)

[Video] Arun's Day - Weight Measurement
(Date of photo: August 12, 2021)
This is a scene of Arun and the others spending time in their bedroom at night. Arun seems to be challenging Uthai to a test of strength, with their noses intertwined.

animal keeper also record the animals' behavior at night and check every day to make sure there are no abnormalities.


[Video] Arun on a certain day - The strength contest
(Date of photo: August 17, 2021)

◎Related News
・ Asian Elephant "Uthai" has given birth! A male calf has been born. (October 31, 2020)
・ The baby Asian Elephant has been named! (December 15, 2020)
・ Asian Elephant "Arun" is growing up healthy and strong! (January 14, 2021)
*For information on the situation in Arun up to March 2021, please see here.

(April 19, 2021)
(April 27, 2021: Update on current situation - Bamboo shoots)
(April 30, 2021: Update on recent activities - Mud mask edition)
(May 4, 2021: Update on current situation - bathing)
(June 29, 2021: Update on current situation - Tires)
(July 13, 2021: Update on recent activities - bamboo play edition)
(August 15, 2021: Update on current status and weight measurement)
(September 9, 2021: Update on current situation - Strength contest edition)