Israel

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Two Baby Asian Elephants Born at Israeli Safari Park [VIDEO]

Israel’s Ramat Gan Safari Park is taking congratulations over the birth of second baby Asian elephant in three months. Lalana, which is Hindi for ‘a girl’, was born earlier this month, exactly two months after her now-niece Latangi was born. Conservation blog Zooborns has full write-ups on the births of both Latangi and Lalana, and a video on the two is embedded below.

Lalana’s initial few hours were touch-and-go, and the calf ended up being nursed both by her mother and grandmother. The phenomenon is well-known in the wild, where older females will teach younger mothers how to properly feed and care for calves.

Israel is a global leader in nature conservation and sustainability. The country sits at the crossroads of three continents, making it an ecological hotspot. The Jewish state has nationally funded projects ranging from replacing pesticides with birds to planting trees across the country, the latter program dating back to the Ottoman Empire.

For its part, the Ramat Gan Safari Park has 1,600 animals spread across the largest collection of species in the Middle East. The park spans 250 acres, allowing many of the animals to range freely. Earlier this year it collaborated with the Jerusalem Zoo in an effort to boost the population of the Griffon vulture, which is endangered in Israel.

[Photo: safariramatgan / YouTube]