April 9, 2010: Mr Shuffles

[xoxoxoBruce]

Sydney's Taronga Zoo hasn't settled on a name for their newest elephant, but the staff is calling him Mr Shuffles, in the meantime.
Leah told me she went to see him and he looked very tender... er, I mean cute, very cute.

Mr Shuffles has finally met his extended family - and they are not letting him out of their sight.
In a tender meeting between the newborn, his two aunts, and his mother Porntip, the gentle giants formed a protective circle around the calf, keeping him a safe distance away from the other recent arrival, eight-month-old Luk Chai, Taronga Zoo said today.
Luk Chai, weighing 350 kilograms, has shown great interest in 116-kilogram Mr Shuffles, constantly touching the young elephant with his trunk.
"Mother Porntip and one of the aunts practically formed a fence with their legs so that the calf is safely sandwiched between them," the zoo said in a statement. "Luk Chai tries to wiggle his way between them, bottom first, but whenever he gets close, the adults give him a gentle push back out again."

They've chosen a list of seven Thai names, and are asking the public to choose.

They are Pathi Harn, which means miracle, Tay Wan (boy in heaven), Ming Khwan (good internal strength and attitude), Nam Chok (brings with him good fortune), Mongkon (auspicious), Boon Thung (merit has led to reaching this life), and Chok Dee (very good luck).

There's more pictures, and a video of him falling in the pool, at the link.