Soap opera at the safari: Granny taking over newborn elephant

Ramat Gan safari park officials worry that the grandmother, La Petite, is interfering in mom and baby elephants' bonding.

By Ruth Schuster for Haaretz

Congratulations to La Belle, the Asian elephant who on Friday gave birth to a 200-pound baby girl at the Safari Park in Ramat Gan!

At least that weight is the best guess of officials at the Safari Park, more officially known as The Zoological Center Tel Aviv - Ramat Gan. They also think the dewy-eyed cutie is about a meter tall.

"We didn't measure her in order not to interfere – it's very important to intervene as little possible," explains Sagit Horowitz, Safari spokeswoman.

Newborn Asian elephants are typically around 100 kilos, Horowitz says, but this one is on the small side, as is her proud mother La Belle, 7, and also her diminutive grandmother, La Petite, 25, who – as the pictures show – both hover lovingly over Baby.

And here lies a rather large rub.

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