We’ve made history! When we first announced the pregnancy of Asian elephant Mali, we assumed our herd of six Asian elephants would become seven. Well, we not only welcomed the seventh member of our Asian elephant herd – but our eighth. Mali had twins!
Baby’s first bubble bath! 🥺 Well, Tukada’s first bubble bath. Yaad preferred to stay on dry ground. Knowing how much baby elephants love water, it won’t be long before Yaad joins in the fun!
#Syracusezoo
#EleTwins
We are thrilled to announce the birth of two critically endangered Amur tiger cubs! 🐯🐯 To learn more about Zeya and her cubs and how you can view them, read the full press release on our website at
#Syracusezoo
#ConservationInAction
And the twins are runnin’, runnin’, and runnin’, runnin’… and you can run too, at our annual Zoo Run Run next Saturday, April 22!
#Syracusezoo
#EleTwins
Want to watch the tiger twins? Check out the “Tiger Cub Cam” in the Animal Health Center lobby when you visit the zoo! If you haven’t already, make sure to read our press release about the birth of these two critically endangered Amur tiger cubs:
In case you were wondering – yes, the twins know they can fit under the rope. 😂 They’re always keeping their keepers on their toes! Visit the zoo for FREE this Sunday and come see the
#EleTwins
during Twin Day and Holidays with the Animals, presented by
@MicronTech
.
“I couldn’t be a brother without you!” ❤️ Happy
#NationalBrothersDay
from
#EleTwins
Yaad and Tukada! If you would like to donate directly to the care of Yaad, Tukada, and their herd, please visit: The Siblings Song by The Teds
#Syracusezoo
The
#EleTwins
are always following momma Mali… And grandma Targa and “auntie” Romani! Yaad and Tukada are the third generation in our Asian elephant herd, mimicking natural herd compositions in the wild.🐘🐘 Song by
@Puppysongs
!
#Syracusezoo
Happy
#NationalTwinDay
from our miracle
#EleTwins
, Yaad and Tukada! These “little” boys are both around 1,000 pounds, and start their day with two very important activities – baths, and training! Check out this video for a behind-the-scenes look.
#Syracusezoo
The twins fight over vegetables, too! By Yaad preventatively trying to keep his brother away from his lettuce he only made Tukada more interested.
#Syracusezoo
Gourd vibes only. 🎃 Happy Halloween from
#EleTwins
Yaad and Tukada! The twins were practicing their pumpkin smashing (or in Yaad’s case, kicking) skills for our upcoming Squishing of the Squash event this Saturday, November 4.
#HappyHalloween
#Syracusezoo
“Hey! Why don’t you pick on someone your own size!” Our female tiger cub jumped in to defend her mom Zeya from her “ferocious” twin brother. 😆 By playing with and gently wrestling her cubs, Zeya is teaching them how to be successful tigers!
#Syracusezoo
Happy Monday from the
#EleTwins
! They’re still learning how to use their trunks. 🥺 Of the 238 zoos and aquariums accredited by the
@zoos_aquariums
, we are among the eight Asian elephant breeding facilities.
#Syracusezoo
As the
#EleTwins
grow we continue to see their personalities develop. Twin two, Tukada, usually ends up on top when he and twin one, Yaad, start wrestling. Considering Tukada was the weaker twin at birth we are so happy to see him thriving and playing with his brother. ❤️
#EleTwins
Yaad and Tukada are 6 months old! At 6 months old they have; more than doubled in weight, started to eat solid food, have much better control of their trunks, and continue to be the cutest “little” things that we ever did see! ❤️🐘🐘
#Syracusezoo
While the
#EleTwins
were outside last week they showed off their improved trunk dexterity – Yaad with an orange slice and Tukada with a stick! Anyone else think Tukada looks like a little wizard with a magic wand?
#Syracusezoo
🐧🌈🐧 We have some very exciting news! The first chick to be fostered by a pair of same-sex penguins at the Rosamond Gifford Zoo hatched on January 1! Read the full news release here:
#Syracusezoo
Happy 26th birthday to our Asian elephant momma, Mali! If you ever wondered where the
#EleTwins
got their love for smashing boxes, now you know! 😂
#Syracusezoo
#MondayFunDay
- Yaad defended his pile of dirt from his brother with some very ✨Fancy Footwork✨. Or at least that���s how we’re choosing to interpret this move lol. Happy Monday!
#Syracusezoo
Siblings don’t always want to share… especially when it comes to delicious little bites of bagel! The
#EleTwins
went running back to mom after squabbling over a piece of bread.
#Syracusezoo
#EleTwins
Yaad and Tukada had their first taste of watermelon at this weekend’s Asian Elephant Extravaganza! After watching the adults, Yaad smashed his first watermelon. And this time, he shared his treat with his brother! 🍉🐘
#Syracusezoo
We can hardly believe it has already been a year since
#EleTwins
Yaad and Tukada were born. It's amazing to see how much they have grown in both size and personality over the past year, and we can't thank our wonderful community enough for coming out to celebrate with us.
Our too-cute tiger twins are getting bigger every day! 🐯🐯 Keep watching our social media to learn when you will be able to see them on exhibit. ❤️
#Syracusezoo
No hesitation, Asian elephant calf Yaad went right to the Chiefs!🏈 This is actually the second year in a row Yaad picked the Chiefs, he’s really doubling down. Tukada was just happy to be there. ❤️
#Syracusezoo
#SuperBowl
Tukada is learning the art of the sand bath! With a little more practice he will be able to throw dirt and sand over his back. Elephants gather sand and mud with their trunks and throw it onto their bodies, providing sun protection and repelling bugs!
#Syracusezoo
How it started Vs how it’s going… The tiger cubs are a little bit too big for mama Zeya to pick up now, but that doesn’t mean she doesn’t try! The cubs are back out on exhibit, come see them from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.
#Syracusezoo
Have you herd? As of yesterday, BOTH Yaad and Tukada weighed in at 457 pounds! At birth, Yaad and Tukada weighed 220 and 237, which means they’ve more than doubled in weight in the past 5 months!
#Syracusezoo
#EleTwins
Luck of the
#EleTwins
!🍀In many cultures, elephants symbolize good luck, and we couldn’t feel more lucky to have Yaad, Tukada, and their incredible animal care staff.
And no, the pool did not survive this time. 😂
#Syracusezoo
Today is the day, come celebrate the
#EleTwins
FIRST birthday! There will be an elephant chat and enrichment for the twins at noon, and a birthday singalong and "cake" smash at 2 p.m. to celebrate this important milestone in their growth.
#Syracusezoo
#EleTwin
update! Yaad and Tukada continue to thrive, weighing in at 359 and 366 pounds respectively. They’re nursing well and have begun to try solid food like fruit, veggies, hay and grain. They’re also beginning to spend more time with the other members of the herd! 🐘🐘
It seems
#EleTwins
Yaad and Tukada are “branching” out in their interests! 😝 Our Elephant team have been giving the boys little trees to play with as enrichment, and while both of them are initially interested, Yaad usually plays with them the longest.
#Syracusezoo
Tiger cubs Zuzaan and Soba (pronounced ‘Zova’) will have access to their outside exhibit until 2 p.m. daily! After 2, they will switch with their father Thimbu.
#Syracusezoo
Happy Thanksgiving! We are so incredibly thankful to our entire zoo family. The zoo is closed today, but we return to regular hours at 10 a.m. tomorrow, Friday, November 25.
#Syracusezoo
#EleTwins
Yaad and Tukada are having so much fun exploring their larger outdoor area! While they still stick close to the adults, the brothers are much braver with each other by their side. Come celebrate the twins first birthday with us this Sunday!
So what did you get for Valentine’s Day? Our Humboldt penguins got rocks. We use non-toxic paint to decorate their favorite nesting item. Male penguins Luis (green & black band) & Elmer (blue band) couldn’t wait to choose some to add to their nests!
#syracusezoo
#ValentinesDay
Red panda cubs Loofah & Doofah are growing fast! Yesterday they weighed in at 1560 and 1640 grams, right around 3.5 lbs. We are gratified to be part of the
#AZA
effort to increase the population of this endangered species.
#savingspecies
@zoos_aquariums
@RedPandaNetwork
There’s
#DoubleTrouble
underfoot! Yaad and Tukada hang out under the adult members of their herd as a natural instinct to protect themselves from predators that would be in the wild, shade themselves from the sun, and, of course, for fun. ❤️
#Syracusezoo
✨Happy New Year!✨Like most babies, our
#EleTwins
are fascinated by new things – so under careful keeper supervision, the twins got to practice using their trunks to explore some sparkly enrichment to celebrate the start of the New Year!
#Syracusezoo
Why
#EleTwins
, what fuzzy little heads you have! Well, it’s less fuzz and more coarse, wiry hairs. As the twins grow, their hair will remain the same density and gradually become thinner and less visible, making them appear less hairy!
#Syracusezoo
With the birth of our miracle elephant twins Yaad and Tukada, one question has been on our minds… which twin has longer hair? 🤔 Ft Tyler for reference. 🐘😊
#Syracusezoo
What’s in the box? It’s a water fountain! The
#EleTwins
are getting the hang of this drinking-water-with-their-trunk thing. First up was Tukada, who made a little bit of a mess. Second was Yaad, who definitely got more into his mouth. Good job boys!
#Syracusezoo
Yaad and Tukada looked like they had an absolute blast this afternoon playing with the hose, rolling in the dirt, and, of course, playing with each other! ❤️
#Syracusezoo
Happy 39th birthday to our sweet Asian elephant Targa! 😊 Targa is the mother of Mali, and grandmother of the
#EleTwins
. Check out this sweet clip of Targa checking in on Mali while she nurses. It truly takes a village. ❤️
#Syracusezoo
The princess has emerged! Red panda cub Raji has started going on exhibit for short bursts with her mom Simone. Red panda cubs can nurse for up to a year, but will begin eating solid food around 4 months old. 5 month old Raji already has a taste for bamboo!
#Syracusezoo
#EndangeredSpeciesDay
🐆 Amur leopards are critically endangered, with less than 80 in the wild and 100–200 in human care. If you would like to make a donation to help us continue our mission of animal care and conservation, please visit:
#Syracusezoo
Happy Thanksgiving from our zoo family to you! The zoo is closed today, but we return to regular hours at 10 a.m. tomorrow, Friday, November 24. Please note, the zoo will be closing at 2 p.m. this Sunday, November 26 for a private event.
#Syracusezoo
#CNY
#HappyThanksgiving
Happy
#InternationalTigerDay
from Zeya and the cubs! 🐯🐯 These twin tiger cubs represent the culmination of almost three years of work for the Amur tiger SSP, or Species Survival Plan. Come see Zeya and her cubs on the Tiger Cub Cam in the Animal Health Center!
Like father, like sons! ❤️ The twins father, Doc, weighs over 9,000 pounds. As of today, Yaad weighs 545 pounds, and Tukada weighs 541 pounds. They still have a lot of growing to do! 🐘🐘
#Syracusezoo
Penguin chicks Alfredo and Fernando had their first swim lesson! Before they can go on exhibit and enjoy their 50,000-gallon pool, they will learn to swim in a smaller, more controlled environment where our expert animal care staff can closely monitor their progress.
#Syracusezoo
#EleTwin
Zoomies! 🐘🐘💨 If you, too, want to zoom around the zoo, join us for our annual Zoo Run Run on April 22! Register, join, or start a team today at
#Syracusezoo
#EleTwins
Please keep in mind that during hotter days our Amur tiger cubs may choose to rest and cool off in their climate controlled area behind the scenes. If you’re patient, they will eventually run out again for another burst of playtime!
#Syracusezoo
Here we have Yaad showing us his expert “downward elephant” position… 🐘🧘There are still some spots left for Elephant Yoga! Join us weekends in August for peaceful morning yoga with a backdrop of our Asian Elephant Preserve to benefit EEHV research.
We're trumpeting with joy over
@CEJRyanMcMahon
's mention of Yaad & Tukada and the hardworking team that made their survival possible. Thanks also to our friends at
@MicronTech
for their support and helping make sure all members of the community could visit our miracle babies!
Check out this photo of some incredibly rare white elephants!!
...April Fools! It's just Yaad and Tukada covered in soap after their bubble bath. ❤️
#EleTwins
#Syracusezoo
Let’s talk about Bruno! Our new penguin chick finally has a name, give a warm welcome to Humboldt penguin Bruno. Welcome to the family little buddy!
#Syracusezoo
The time has finally come, please help us choose names for our history-making baby Asian
#EleTwins
! The two males were born to parents Mali and Doc on October 24, and our keepers have created a list of their favorite names to choose from:
#Syracusezoo
Why
#EleTwins
, what fuzzy little heads you have! Well, it’s less fuzz and more small, fine hairs. As the twins grow, their hair will remain the same density and gradually become thinner and less visible, making them look less hairy!
#Syracusezoo
It’s official! 🐨🐨 As some of you guessed, the iconic koala will be bringing a bit of Australia to the Syracuse Zoo! Please read our press release to learn more about these arboreal A-listers:
#Syracusezoo
Does the fact that the tiger cubs destroyed the 49ers box first mean they’re going to win or lose? Or does it just mean they prefer the smell of perfume over peppermint? Either way, Coba and Zuzaan had a blast with this football themed scent-enrichment!
#Syracusezoo
#SuperBowl
Throw some hay confetti, it’s Friday! 🐘🐘 While our
#EleTwins
are inside enjoying their warm barn and heated floors, the viewing window offers pretty good visibility for guests that want to brave the cold and visit! Photo by
@singmysongbird
#Syracusezoo
Happy 11th birthday to red panda papa Ketu! Red pandas have a unique adaptation, a “false thumb” that enables them to climb and grasp bamboo leaves and poles. This “thumb” is actually an enlarged wrist bone.
#Syracusezoo
Don’t forget, Snow Leopard Days continue until February 28! Enjoy reduced admission prices and explore the zoo in the winter. Fore more information, please visit
#Syracusezoo