Perilaku Menyusu Anak Gajah Sumatra (Elephas maximus sumatranus) di Kawasan Taman Nasional Gunung LeuserResort Tangkahan, Langkat, Sumatera Utara

Abstract

This research aims to explain the suckling behavior of Sumatran elephant calves (Elephas maximus sumatrans) in the Gunung Leuser Resort Tangkahan National Park area, Langkat, North Sumatra. The process when an elephant wants to breastfeed is that the elephant will approach its mother and make a movement to open its mouth with its trunk raised upwards and then suck on the nipple. This research method uses the focal animal sampling method with the focus animal selected based on certain reasons (purposive), then using continuous recording observation rules. The stages of breastfeeding an elephant calf at CRU Tangkahan start from approaching the mother, feeling the nipple, lifting the trunk, sucking the nipple, and releasing the suction. The highest frequency of breastfeeding behavior was found in nipple sucking behavior, namely 36.61% in Carlos elephant calves and 27.69% in Boni elephant calves. Meanwhile, the behavior of approaching the mother is the behavior with the lowest frequency in Boni elephants, namely 12.82% and the behavior of lifting the trunk is the lowest frequency behavior in Carlos elephants, namely 0%