九州で４例目　アフリカンサファリでアジアゾウの赤ちゃん誕生　４月中旬に一般公開予

A baby Asian elephant was born last month at the African Safari in Kyushu Natural Zoo in Usa City. The lively baby was shown to the press. Born on the 19th of last month, the female Asian elephant, Tawa, was named after the month of her birth, December, which is pronounced "Tanwa" in Laos, one of the Asian elephant's habitats. She weighed 128 kg at birth. Less than a month later, she has grown to 142 kg. ■African Safari Exhibit Manager Junzo Horie: "Right now, she's imitating how her mother eats. She doesn't actually eat, she just drinks her mother's milk. By imitating her, she learns to eat various foods." Asian elephants have a long gestation period of around two years, making it rare for them to be born at a zoo in Japan. This marks the fourth birth in Kyushu. ■African Safari, Horie, exhibit manager: "He's very affectionate and very attached to his mother. Three cubs have been born (at African Safari) so far, but this one is the one that stays the longest away from his mother." He currently spends his time playing with his mother, Boonmee, and sleeping for around 10 hours a day. He is scheduled to be open to the public in mid-April. ■African Safari, Horie, exhibit manager: "He plays by swinging his short nose around, and he walks in a cute way, so I hope you'll come and see that for yourself."