Elephant Youngsters Present Sibling Rivalry Over A Toy

The staff at the Chester Zoo mounted a log on a hinge in the elephant enclosure. It got taken over as a toy straight away by Aayu the older male calf of the herd and nobody else was allowed to play with it. He had fun wrapping his trunk around it and stepping on it. So when his big sister Indali came close to the log he was having none of it. He gave her a big shove. During the morning Indali tried a few times to have a play, but the watchful eyes of Aayu made this impossible. She wasn't even allowed to rub her bum on it when she had an itch. At one point he even grabs her tail!Show more

In an attempt to entertain the elephants at the Chester Zoo in Cheshire, England, the staff mounted a big, long log on a hinge in the elephant enclosure. It got taken over as a toy straight away by Aayu the older male calf of the herd and nobody else was allowed to play with it. He just loved watching it bounce up and down and had a blast moving it around with his little elephant trunk! This adorable little guy is having the time of his life playing with the log and even though the other elephants want to take a turn with the new toy, he has made it very clear that it is his and only his!

Watch as Aayu has fun wrapping his trunk around it and stepping on it. He is having such a great time with the log that when his big sister Indali comes to close to the log, he charges at her with his head down in an attempt to protect his new toy from others. He gives his big sister a shove backwards away from the log as if to say “mine!” as a toddler would when their sister tried to take their favourite toy away. Even though she is bigger than him, Aayu still manages to push her several feet back away from the log.

During the morning Indali tried a few more times to have a play with the new toy, but the watchful eyes of Aayu made this impossible. She wasn't even allowed to rub her bum on it when she had an itch. At one point he even grabs her tail to let her know that he wants her to leave at once. He is very protective over the new log in the enclosure and it is hilarious to watch him as her does everything he can to keep it all to himself!

Aayu and Indali are the zoo’s newest and youngest elephants to join the family. Aayu was born in December 2016 and Indali was born at the zoo in January 2017. Despite their very large size, they are still babies as you can tell by their playful and entertaining personalities!

Cheshire Zoo is a popular destination, visited by over 1.9 million people every year! They care about their animals, having 21,000 of them residing in the zoo are involved with many conservative projects in their area and abroad. The Cheshire Zoo also has 125 acres of award winning zoological gardens, making the Zoo a very poplar place with tourists.

One of the zoos most popular exhibits is the Asian Elephants. These magnificent animals are showcased as the first exhibit when you visit the zoo due to their popularity and entertaining personalities. These elephants are very intelligent and sociable creatures that live together in family groups. These groups are typically led by the eldest female. The Asian elephants most distinctive features is their strong and powerful trunks which they use to forage for food, suck up water and of course, move toy logs around during play time!