All information about the elephant

Elephant species

In nature, you have two types of elephants:

• African elephants

• Asian elephants

The African elephant has two more subspecies: the savanna elephant and the forest elephant. The differences between these two elephants are not very big. The forest elephant is found mainly in West and Central Africa and likes to hide among the trees. In contrast, the savanna elephant is often found south of the Sahara.

In the Ranger Request below, Ranger Ilse explains more about the differences between the African and Asian elephant! She also takes a visit to both species.

Gestation period of an elephant

The gestation period of an African elephant is a whopping 22 months. That's almost two years! This gestation period is therefore one of the longest in the animal kingdom. This long gestation period allows the calf to develop well in its mother's belly. Elephants are intelligent animals, just like great apes and dolphins. Their brains are already highly developed at birth, allowing the calf to survive in the herd right at birth.

Birth of a calf

After a gestation period of 22 months, a young elephant is born. A young elephant is called a calf. At birth, the calf weighs about between 80 to 115 pounds! The calf is completely independent when it is eight years old.

In Safaripark Beekse Bergen, in on May 4, 2016, the first live African elephant was born in the Benelux! This was also the first elephant born in Safaripark Beekse Bergen. Her name is Madiba, named after Nelson Mandela.

What does an elephant eat?

Elephants are herbivores, or plant eaters. They eat grass, leaves, bushes and fruit. To get enough food, elephants must eat about 160 pounds of food a day! In addition to eating food, an elephant must also drink a lot. An elephant drinks between 70 and 160 liters of water a day!

Is the African elephant endangered?

The African elephant has the status endangered. They are illegally hunted for their tusks which are made of ivory. This ivory is incredibly valuable and in high demand. Every year, 20,000 elephants are gruesomely killed for their tusks. That's as many as 55 elephants a day! Elephant habitat is also disappearing more and more as the population continues to grow. Thus, much of the elephant's habitat is being converted to farmland.

The role of zoos is to preserve and protect of endangered species. European parks work closely together to achieve this goal and do so with an management program (EEP). The elephant is also part of this. This is how a healthy reserve population is maintained. Find out more about species conservation and our role here.

Conservation

Not only elephants, but many of the species you see in our park are endangered and struggling in their original habitats. Did you know that worldwide more than 4,000 animal species threatened with extinction are endangered? Together we can help them, with big, or small steps. Want to know how? Then click here.

Wildlife Foundation

Stichting Wildlife supports these animals in the wild through Elephants and Bees project. Beekse Bergen, Stichting Wildlife and Save the Elephants are also raising 60,000 euros for the construction of a corridor: a safe passage for elephants that prevents human-animal conflicts. Want to know more about Stichting Wildlife and these projects? Then click here.

Elephant poop

With all this eating and drinking, you might imagine there's quite a lot of poop coming out of an elephant. That's right! An elephant produces about 100 to 120 pounds of poop a day! That will stink...

How old does an elephant get?

An African elephant in the wild reaches an average age of 65 years. Of course, there are always exceptions and some elephants get a little older.

How much does an elephant weigh?

The African elephant is of course known for its size and its beautiful trunk. It is the largest land animal in the world! So it is also not surprising that these animals are incredibly heavy. An African elephant weighs as much as 3,000 to 6,500 pounds! Males are heavier than females. Thus, females weigh up to around 3,200 pounds and males around 6,500 pounds.

Want to know exactly how heavy the African elephant is, and how many ants you need to carry one? Ranger Brent explains in the Ranger request below!

Largest elephant in Europe

In Safaripark Beekse Bergen you can find the biggest elephant in Europe. His name is Calimero and he has been living in Safaripark Beekse Bergen since 2004. Calimero is no less than 3.40 meters high and he weighs as much as 7,000 pounds! This is huge and heavy. Calimero is the largest elephant in Europe and one of the largest elephants in the world.

Are you curious how big Calimero is in real life?