Baby Elephant Getting Pampered at the Toledo Zoo Is Beyond Precious
It's not everyday that we say we're jealous to be an elephant trainer, but a video online really has us convinced that this is the perfect occupation. The footage shows animal trainers pampering a baby elephant named Kirkja. And TBH, this seems like the best job ever.
The Ohio zoo shared just a small snippet of what a typical day caring for the elephant calf looks like.
The clip shows the baby elephant sprinting over to her trainers, who then gives her some pets and possibly some treats. She's so tiny! It's hard to believe she's real. And she looked like she was having a ball to boot.
Related: Elephant Returns Child's Shoe After It Falls Into Zoo Enclosure in Moment of Pure Sweetness
"Could Kirkja be any cuter?! (the answer is no)," the zoo joked in the caption.
Baby Kirkja has amassed a ton of fans all over the internet. "The excited turn of the corner," wrote one person in the comments section. "Mom right in the back watching," another commenter pointed out. "Me thinking of ways to fit Kirkja in my baby's stroller to bring home for myself next visit," a third commenter joked. "I love how much the mom and baby trust the keepers. Really shows how much love and training the keepers show to the elephants," one commenter pointed out.
Kirkja Made a Huge Splash at the Toledo Zoo
The baby elephant is obviously adorable. But she caused a wee bit of a scandal when she was first announced. According to WTOL 11, when the animal was born in February, the zoo first believed that Kirkja was a boy elephant. In fact, they originally named him Kirk!
After closely observing *ahem* Kirk for a few days, the elephant's caretakers realized that they'd made a mistake. Kirk was a girl. Whoopsie.
It might seem like a huge oversight, but zookeepers explained that it's somewhat normal to make mistakes like this with elephants. That being said, they did try to right their wrong and re-announced the elephant's gender and brand new name...Kirkja.
Because Kirkja is officially a girl, she was allowed to stay with her mother Renee. If Kirkja had been male they would've had to remove the baby elephant from the herd until it reached sexual maturity. She has also been gaining weight since her birth this winter, a positive development that the zoo says only shows that she's growing up to be happy and healthy. And this video certainly is proof that she is well taken care of and well-loved.
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