C’sar the Elephant Celebrates 51st Birthday at N.C. Zoo

ASHEBORO, N.C. (ACME NEWS) — C’sar, the oldest African bull elephant in North America and the North Carolina Zoo’s first elephant, marked his 51st birthday this summer with a public celebration that included gifts of his favorite foods — watermelon, pineapple, apples, hay, fresh browse, and frozen treats.

C’sar was born in 1974 and entered human care at the age of 2. In 1978, at age 4, he was purchased for $12,000 from the Toledo Zoo and transported to North Carolina, where a welcoming party was held on July 27, 1978. At the time, he stood just 4 feet tall at the shoulder and weighed about 1,600 pounds.

Today, C’sar stands nearly 11 feet tall, weighs around 12,000 pounds, and is both the Zoo’s longest-tenured resident and the oldest African bull elephant in human care in North America. His 50th birthday last year coincided with the Zoo’s golden anniversary. With his birthday in July and the Zoo’s anniversary in August, C’sar is, in fact, older than the Zoo itself.

His senior years bring challenges, including arthritis, limited vision, and a neurological issue affecting his left ear. To help him stay strong, C’sar participates in weekly elephant yoga sessions with his trainers — exercises featured in the NatGeo series Secrets of the Zoo: North Carolina. C’sar has benefited from groundbreaking medical care at the Zoo, including cataract surgery and the unprecedented use of corrective contact lenses.

Despite these challenges, C’sar still enjoys many of the activities that delighted him in his youth, from swimming and splashing to roaming the habitat he has called home for nearly half a century.

“He has experienced many changes at the Zoo, and generations continue to visit him year after year,” said Zoo Public Relations Officer Sara Pack. Visitors can see C’sar most days on the Watani Grasslands Habitat in the Africa region of the Zoo.