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Mapenzi — Penzi for short — was born to mama Semba on April 6. She joins sister Nandi, brother Sundzu, dad Mabu and aunt Lungile.

The Star will be documenting Penzi’s milestones each month until she’s 1 year old.

Penzi’s health and energy

The zoo tracks how often Penzi nurses — down to the seconds — every day. A couple weeks ago, Penzi wasn’t nursing as well and was acting a tad fussy, says director of zoological operations Sue Tygielski.

But those problems only lasted a couple days and she’s now nursing just fine.

Penzi later started to experience diarrhea, though it’s unknown if the issue has anything to do with the earlier problems with nursing. Veterinarians haven’t been able to determine the cause of the diarrhea.

“Health-wise, the veterinarians are still checking on her 24 hours a day, but we have seen improvements — both behaviorally, she seems great, and clinically. In her labs, we’ve seen improvements,� Tygielski says.

“She is amazing even with this diarrhea and this heat,� she says. “You would never know she’s not 100% because behaviorally, she’s full of energy and playing.�

To keep Penzi from getting dehydrated, she’s been in the barn more and on the habitat less. If you’ve been tuning into the zoo’s live elephant cams on , the best time to catch Penzi is early in the morning.

New this month

During her first month, Penzi worked on maneuvering her trunk. Now, she’s pretty much mastered it.

“She’s following her mom around and picking up the things she’s picking up,� Tygielski says, adding that before, Penzi would pick things up but couldn’t really make the connection to put anything in her mouth.

Her coordination has also gotten better since her first month, though it’s not uncommon to see her fall.

“She gets so excited she sometimes doesn’t pick her feet up high enough,� Tygielski says, adding that sometimes Penzi will try to balance multiple feet on a log or the lift of the barn door.

“Sometimes it’s successful and sometimes it ends in the plop of an elephant,� Tygielski says.

And like most kids, Penzi loves toys — including small black tubs that she enjoys stomping on.

“She realizes she can step on them and they change shape or make a funny noise,� Tygielski says.

Just like her first month, Penzi is still hesitant to get into deeper mud wallows.

“She likes water but she’s very hesitant to get into water,� Tygielski says. She instead prefers to splash at the edge.

“I thought as we got into these hot temperatures, she would for sure get into it,� Tygielski says. “Eventually she’ll learn that swimming is a fun thing, but she isn’t there yet.�

BONDING with keepers, Nandi

Despite the fact that keepers have given Penzi “yucky-tasting medications� in recent weeks, Tygielski says one of Penzi’s favorite things is getting scratched with the keepers’ large brushes.

“When you start doing it, she kind of lights up,� Tygielski says, adding that Penzi will even flap her ears open so she can get brushed behind there.

As for Penzi’s relationship with big sister Nandi, they’re still as close as ever.

The two sisters are sometimes separated — when Nandi is on the habitat and Penzi is in the barn — but when they reunite, “it’s like a little party every time,� Tygielski says.

“Nandi really has been a superstar in how gentle she’s been with (Penzi) and how curious she’s been with her,� Tygielski says. “We’re so delighted Nandi is interacting with her so well and kind of giving Semba a break.�

Reid Park Zoo is closed due to the coronavirus. Keep up with the zoo at or .