On Monday, May 14, an early-morning earthquake struck San Diego. The shock was felt throughout SoCal and parts of Mexico. Fortunately, there are no injuries or casualties reported, and the tsunami alert hasn’t been activated. However, the incident was scary enough to scare residents…including those with four legs. The elephants at San Diego Zoo were quick to react to yesterday’s earthquake!
The animals, clearly surprised by the ground shaking beneath their feet, immediately formed an ‘alert circle’ in response. The adorable – and impressive – video quickly became viral.
The video above was captured by San Diego Zoo’s live cam. The elephants can be seen quickly reacting to the earthquake, by gathering in a circle around the youngest ones. This is a protective stance, that is actually a normal reaction for these impressive animals.
After the tremors stopped, the elephants remained grouped for a while, to make sure everyone’s out of danger. Even when the ‘alert circle’ was broken, they’re seen leaving together and keeping close to each other.
Here’s what we’ve seen, according to the San Diego Zoo: “Stronger together 🐘 Elephants have the unique ability to feel sounds through their feet and formed an “alert circle” during the 5.2 magnitude earthquake that shook Southern California this morning. This behavior is a natural response to perceived threats to protect the herd.”
The San Diego Zoo Safari Park’s elephant herd consists of Ndlula, Umngani, Khosi, and young calves Zuli and Mkhaya. Their adorable reaction melted everyone’s hearts. It’s impressive how quickly the animals felt the danger, assessed the situation, reacted, and protected the weakest of their heard. No wonder we always have so much to learn from these intelligent animals!
If you’d like to see what others animals are up to in their natural habitats, but can’t make it to the zoo…live cams to the rescue! San Diego Zoo’s website has a couple of them live streaming at all times. You can check out the adorable koalas, the giant pandas, the penguins, and more. Find all of them here.