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Bertie kept briefed about zoo's baby; mentions Rocco and Jay
Topic Started: Jul 2 2007, 02:52 PM (157 Views)
JoanneVIP
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THE BOSS
Taoiseach opens elephants' new home


Bertie kept briefed about zoo's baby

Friday June 29 2007


BERTIE Ahern trumpeted a new rain-forest home for Dublin Zoo's elephants yesterday before packing his own trunk for his 11-week Dail holidays.


As TDs finish up in Leinster House next week, Mr Ahern is expected to charge to the Galway Races before his usual summer sojourn in south Kerry.

Yesterday, he jokingly apologised for missing the first birth of an elephant in Ireland "because of a little matter I had to take care of".

But the election was far from Mr Ahern's mind as he opened the zoo's Kaziranga Forest Trail habitat, which includes water pools and dense vegetation.

The 8,000-square-metre enclosure will house Bernhardine (23), Yasmin (17), Anak (4) and Bernhardine's two-month-old baby calf, who has yet to be given a name.

During his tour, the Taoiseach told how, a few weeks after his daughter Georgina gave birth to twins Rocco and Jay, he was getting a daily update on the birth of the 80kg baby elephant.

"It seemed to be the longest birth I had ever heard about. I was being told it would be today, then tomorrow and then it was next week, but I am glad all went well."

Zoo director Leo Oosterweghel said the new section of the zoo had been specially designed for the animals.

"Elephants are highly intelligent and the area is very challenging, where they have all of these little bits of food hidden everywhere," he said.

"In the wild they spend 70pc of their time looking for food, and we want to recreate that level of activity."

With elevated feeding points to stimulate them and food hidden up to one metre in the ground, the elephants will have to work to get the 150kg of grass, hay and vegetables that they get through each every day.

"What we tried to do is create an environment that they were familiar with and that closely resembles what they do in the wild," said Gerry Creighton, team leader in the animal care department.

"It is a facility which is designed around the biology of the elephant. They like to swim, so there is an area where they can totally submerge themselves.

"There are overhead feeders, which are good for muscles and trunks. We dig and hide food items, which encourages them to dig," Mr Creighton said.

- Shane Hickey and Senan Hogan
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JoanneVIP
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THE BOSS
thats so cute he was being kept up to date, and bless Rocco and Jay lol
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MrsMaryByrne
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Mary
thanks for posting...its cutexx
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JoanneVIP
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THE BOSS
it is indeed cute
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Nicky's Angel
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Sara
It is cute thanks for posting Jo
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jlovenicky
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Jacqueline
Cute :D Thanks hunnie for posting :D
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JoanneVIP
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THE BOSS
It is cute,,, lol.
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MrsMaryByrne
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Mary
ya it is very cute :)
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moon
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Westlife Fanatic
very cute :D thanks
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JoanneVIP
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THE BOSS
welcome
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