When the earth shakes, some creatures flee.
Others freeze.
But in a quiet corner of California, a herd of elephants did something remarkable.
During a 5.2-magnitude earthquake that rattled the area near the San Diego Zoo Safari Park, the park’s elephants—living under the watchful eyes of caretakers and fans alike—didn’t panic.
They protected.
As soon as the tremors hit, the elephants converged from separate parts of their habitat. Without any visible cues or loud signals, they moved swiftly and instinctively into an “alert circle”—a formation known to animal behaviorists as a protective shield used in response to perceived threats.
Inside that circle?
Two precious calves: Zuli and Mkhaya, already beloved by fans who follow their playful antics on Instagram.
The larger, older elephants—many of them matriarchs—stood shoulder to shoulder, forming a ring of safety around the little ones. They stayed like that for several minutes, scanning their surroundings, standing strong, calm, and present.
And when the earth stilled, they eased out of formation, back to grazing, nuzzling, and living in connection.
A Moment Bigger Than the Quake
What makes this moment extraordinary isn’t just what they did—it’s what it teaches.
Elephants are known for their intelligence, memory, and emotional bonds. But witnessing their instinct to form community in the face of fear, to circle up instead of scattering, is a poignant lesson for all of us.
In a time when stress, disaster, and division feel like daily tremors, maybe the best thing we can do is what the elephants did:
Come together.
Protect the vulnerable.
Pause.
And return, gently, to the rhythm of life.
From Dr. Bea Well:
“People ask me all the time, ‘What’s the one thing that makes communities healthy?’
I tell them, watch elephants. They don’t just survive. They care.”
Good News Takeaway:
But when we huddle up, protect what matters, and stand steady with one another—
we’re stronger than we think.
