Hoedspruit Elephant Rehabilitation and Development (HERD) has officially started counting down to Khanyisa’s second birthday.
Her birthday as estimated by HERD’s wildlife vets is on September 26. HERD will be hosting a virtual birthday party which will be live-streamed on YouTube.
The adorable albino elephant is surely growing and has started to show some growth and changes in her body. From adorable stumbles to slow and steady steps, Khanyisa’s feet have undergone a fair bit of change in the past year, much like the rest of her growing little albino body. She also has a growing international following on social media.
“She has learnt so much from her adoptive family since the beginning of her integration, including some wonderful fancy footwork. “Dust baths are a favourite activity of Sunshine’s and she now expertly loosens the soil beneath her feet through steady scrapes and digs, loosening the sand enough to enjoy and toss over herself with her little trunk. She is learning all the tricks of the elephant trade to help her survive in nature,” said HERD.”
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According to HERD, Khanyisa will soon be using her growing feet with the same expertise as her elders, silently and effectively smothering the sound of breaking sticks as she walks through the bush.
“Elephants have a very particular way of walking. The left hind foot moves, then the left front foot moves, waits a bit, then the right hind foot moves. “The right front foot then moves and then there’s a pause before they repeat. Elephants don’t break into a canter or gallop, they simply walk slowly, quickly and sometimes formidably fast,” said HERD.
The centre further said elephants belong to a group called near-ungulates, meaning that they have toenails rather than hooves. They said baby elephants are born with long toenails which need to be worn down by walking and that Khanyisa’s are looking beautiful and trim thanks to her daily exercise.
“Interestingly, the underside of their feet start to resemble the pattern of the dry African ground out in our wildernesses. The cracks form, making a tread pattern akin to that of a trail runner’s favourite sneakers or shoes. When sticks or stones creep up into the cracks as the elephants roam the wild, these animals are very adept at removing them by rubbing their feet over tree stumps and the like,” said HERD.
Elephants are able to use nature and what it provides as tools to make their lives easier and to survive for longer. Their feet themselves act as tools, for instance digging up sand, but also bulbs and roots to feed on.
Khanyisa has been known to use her back feet to throw kicks around and show her power over unsuspecting adversaries like rubber tyres or friends in the herd, like little Timisa.
Known for walking with amazing silence despite their massive weight, elephants also use their feet to dig for water and to warn unwelcome visitors by kicking up huge amounts of dust to intimidate. For more information on HERD visit www.herd.org.za
