CCTV Footage Captures Elephants Protecting Their Young During San Diego Earthquake

CCTV footage has captured the moment a herd of African elephants at San Diego Zoo Safari Park responded to a 5.2-magnitude earthquake by rallying to shield their youngest members.

Footage from the park, recorded last week, captures the moment the quake hits. The video shows five elephants standing together in the Sun before the ground begins to tremble and the camera jolts. Within seconds, the herd splits in different directions, but the adult elephants — Ndlula, Umngani, and Khosi — quickly regroup, moving to form a tight circle around the two youngest, 7-year-old Zuli and Mkhaya.

Once gathered, the adults remain on high alert. Their ears are wide and twitching, scanning for any further threats, even after the shaking subsides.

The quake, which was strong enough to be felt from San Diego all the way to Los Angeles — about 120 miles (193 kilometers) north — triggered small rockslides on rural roads and toppled merchandise in the nearby mountain town of Julian. No injuries or serious damage were reported, but the elephants clearly didn’t take any chances.

“They sort of freeze as they gather information about where the danger is,” Mindy Albright, curator of mammals at the San Diego Zoo Safari Park, tells the Associated Press.

Albright says the behavior, often called an “alert circle,” is common among elephants. These highly social animals are known to detect vibrations through their feet and will instinctively cluster together at signs of danger, positioning calves in the center while the older elephants face outward.

In the video, one calf quickly ducks between the adults for shelter. The other — Zuli, the only male — lingers on the edge, trying to hold his ground. Albright points out that Khosi, a teenage female who helped raise him alongside his biological mother, Ndlula, gently taps him with her trunk, even brushing his face, in what looks like reassurance.

While Zuli still enjoys the attention and protection that comes with being the youngest, Albright notes his role will soon shift. As he matures into a bull, he’ll eventually leave the family unit to join a bachelor group, while the female elephants remain part of the herd for life.

“It’s so great to see them doing the thing we all should be doing — that any parent does, which is protect their children,” adds Albright.

Roughly an hour later, an aftershock prompted the elephants to regroup briefly, once again forming a huddle until the threat passes.