ÃÛèÖÖ±²¥

At last check, 11-month-old Mapenzi weighed 1,035 pounds. When big sister Nandi was a baby, she didn’t hit 1,000 pounds until maybe a month after her first birthday.

“With her size, she’s starting to take up some space,� says elephant supervisor Cassie Dodds. “It used to be kinda hard to find her, but she’s a little easier to spot out there now.�

And considering her size, it might come as no surprise that she has a huge appetite. Cucumbers are currently her favorite, but Dodds says Mapenzi will eat pretty much anything.

“She’ll try to stuff giant amounts of food in her mouth — more than she can chew,� Dodds says.

Dodds says sometimes keepers will put cucumber slices in her water tubs and she’ll spend lots of time bobbing for them.

“That’s one of her favorite activities right now,� Dodds says.

Mapenzi — Penzi for short — was born to African elephant Semba on April 6. Mapenzi joined dad Mabu, sister Nandi, brother Sundzu and aunt Lungile at the zoo.

The Star is documenting Penzi’s milestones each month until she is 1 year old.

Penzi’s growth

When Mapenzi was first born, keepers had to baby-proof the habitat — putting sand where there was more than a 2-foot drop, filling in any potentially sharp edges and making sure her little body couldn’t wedge between any logs.

“At 295 pounds, she could’ve fit through something, so we had to add a lot of clips and chains so she wouldn’t get into an area that wasn’t safe for her,� Dodds says.

But with Mapenzi’s growth, there’s no longer a need for baby-proofing, so all those barriers are coming down.

“It’s kinda relatable to people — when they have kids, they have to baby-proof their whole house,� Dodds says. “It’s nice to be past that point.�

Another milestone of her growth — Penzi’s tusks are starting to come in.

“With the training sessions we’ve been doing, she likes to have her ears and cheeks scratched,� Dodds says. “We’ve been able to feel tiny, little tusks growing in. They’re starting that process, but they won’t be visible for quite a while.�

New skills and interactions

Penzi is continuing to learn new skills, especially during her training sessions — which are voluntary for the elephants and done through positive reinforcement. Training sessions help keepers evaluate the elephants to make sure they’re healthy.

Among her new skills in the last month is a “lean-in behavior,� where Penzi moves her body toward her keeper. She also has been working on target pull training, which involves a stick that has a ball attached on the end.

“We’re training her to touch that and move toward that,� Dodds says. “All her training will be able to transfer to that. If we want her to move her foot, we’ll put the target to her foot, so she’ll move her foot.�

Penzi has also been able to keep her trunk still for about seven to eight seconds, which Dodds says is good for her age.

And in January, Penzi got some lessons on manners — such as staying in her own space and finding her own food — from Nandi.

“She’s definitely learned a lot from the social etiquette training that she’s having,� Dodds says. “She’s learning to go find her own pile of food now and not going for what Nandi’s found.�

Penzi’s first birthday

Beyond enrichment activities and special treats for Penzi, Reid Park Zoo will also host some on-site and virtual events for the public Saturday, April 3.

At 2 p.m., the zoo will virtually host “Penzi’s First Year,� where viewers will get to hear Penzi’s story and watch how she interacts with the elephant keepers. There will also be a raffle to win a private, up-close visit with Penzi and the herd, with proceeds benefitting the zoo’s conservation fund.

More events and details will be announced leading up to the big day. Keep up with the zoo at or .