Figure 7.5 Body condition scoring system for Asian elephant calves.

Weaning

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Calves in the wild depend on milk for the first two years of life. Weaning in the wild naturally occurs at three or four years of age when the mother is typically ready to give birth again.

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For mother-reared calves, the weaning age depends on both the mother and the calf's behavior. Some calves form strong attachments to their mothers and have a strong desire for milk. Some mothers are more tolerant of their infants' demanding behaviors than others. In exceptional cases, young elephant calves may continue to suckle from their mother even after she has given birth to the next calf. However, in most cases, calves naturally stop suckling at approximately 3-4 years of age.

Weaning an orphan that had been bottle-fed should be a gradual process. Weaning can be started at 12-14 months of age by gradually decreasing the amount of milk and increasing the amount of solid foods offered. Complete weaning before 2 years of age is not advisable and it is best to continue some bottle feeding until the calf is at least 3 years old.

Orphaned elephants are typically willing to consume milk even when they are much older (8 years of age). In facilities like the Elephant Transit Home in Sri Lanka, calves are fed milk until they are ready to be released back into the wild. This means that some calves may receive milk until they are juveniles. During the feeding process, the maximum amount of milk is provided to the younger calves. However, the feeding ration does not change as they get older. As a result, growing animals must meet their nutritional requirements through solid food by foraging.

Coprophagy 

Coprophagy is the consumption of feces. Mother-reared calves will normally ingest feces of adult elephants. This behavior is believed to contribute to the development of a healthy gut microbiome. This behavior can vary, ranging from simply sniffing the droppings to actually eating pieces of fecal matter and playing with feces. Sometimes, the calves may taste the softer feces, while at other times, they may ingest fecal boluses. Orphan calves should be offered feces from healthy adult elephants starting at 3-4 months of age. In situations where adult elephants are not readily available, calves can even be fed adult fecal matter by incorporating it into their milk.

Figure 7.6 Coprophagy in a young calf. Photo credit: Susan Mikota

Behavioral Development

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During the first three months of life, the calf practices behaviors needed for feeding. Manipulation skills increase between three and six months of age and by six to nine months the calf is able to pull, collect grass, and place it in the mouth. By this time they have also learned to efficiently use their front legs to dislodge vegetation and to remove soil from grass by shaking against their legs as adults do (Nair 1989). Table 7.1 lists typical calf behaviors and the ages they are noted.

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Webber has written an in-depth thesis comparing the behavioral development of elephant calves in captivity and in the wild (Webber, 2017).

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Exercise and Play

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Exercise is important for the growing calf. Walking with the calf is a simple activity that can be enriching and can help strengthen the bond between the calf and caregiver while also providing exercise to help the calf develop muscle strength and motor skills. See Figure 7.7.

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Play behavior reflects positive emotions and is considered an indicator of well-being. Work done with wild African elephants has shown that high play rates early in development correlates with long-term survival while lesser amounts of play are associated with slower growth and higher mortality (Lee et al., 2013; Lee and Moss, 2014).

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Play helps the calf to learn about its environment, hone motor skills, solve problems and develop social skills. Play should be encouraged. In one study, captive Asian elephant calves spent about 22% of their waking time playing compared to 15% spent by wild calves (Webber 2020). Resting is also important for young calves; sand provides a comfortable substrate. See Figure 7.8. 

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Play behaviors may be social or non-social. In non-social lone play, calves engage in behaviors like running, spinning, rocking, and kicking. They may vocalize. This is typical of calves under six months of age. Make sure that the young calf has enough room to express these behaviors.

In non-social object play, calves interact with objects that they might roll or throw using their trunk, mouth or feet. Objects may include things in the environment like mud, water, or vegetation (Webber 2020). Provide items like logs to climb on and over, large balls to roll or kick, hanging tires, or hanging logs to butt. See figure below. Make sure that the calf cannot become tangled in ropes or chains used to suspend play objects. 

Social play may involve gentle or more vigorous contact with other calves. During gentle contact calves may intertwine trunks, roll or lean against each other or wrestle. This is typical of infants and young juveniles whereas older juveniles and adolescents are more likely to engage in more aggressive pushing, shoving, and sparring (Webber and Lee, 2020). See Figure 7.9.

Caregivers are cautioned to avoid participating in games of chase or otherwise engaging in rough forms of play with calves. Elephants calves already weigh 200 pounds at birth and may weigh hundreds of pounds more in just a few months. Rough play with humans reinforces an unacceptable and potentially dangerous behavior.