On a recent Monday morning, a 5.2-magnitude earthquake shook southern California, including the San Diego Zoo Safari Park. The earthquake, which was felt as far as Los Angeles, caused some minor disruptions, such as boulders tumbling onto rural roads and items falling off shelves in nearby stores. Despite the tremors, the herd of African elephants at the park displayed an incredible protective behavior toward their young. A video captured the moment when the elephants, initially standing in the sun, reacted quickly to the shaking ground. The older elephants—Ndlula, Umngani, and Khosi—immediately surrounded the two young calves, Zuli and Mkhaya, forming a protective circle to shield them from any potential danger.

The response of the elephants highlights their extraordinary intelligence and social structure. Elephants are known for their ability to sense vibrations through their feet, which helps them detect potential threats. According to Mindy Albright, a curator of mammals at the park, when elephants sense danger, they instinctively form an “”alert circle.”” The adults face outward, and the calves are kept in the center of the circle. In the video, one of the calves ran to safety among the adults, while the other, a male, remained on the edge of the circle, showing a sense of independence. After an aftershock, the herd briefly gathered again before dispersing once they determined that they were safe. This behavior reflects the deep social bonds among elephants and their strong protective instincts.