Kamala was born in 1975 in Sri Lanka's Yala National Park.  Orphaned at approximately three months of age, she was found at the bottom of an abandoned well by park staff.  Her name, which means "lotus flower", was given to her at an elephant orphanage near Pinnawala, Sri Lanka.  Through a cooperative effort with the Sri Lankan government, Kamala, and two other Asian elephants orphaned around the same time, were brought to the Calgary Zoo in 1976.  Ten years later, she gave birth to a male named Chanda (Calvin), the first Asian elephant born in Canada.  Her second offspring, a female named Maharani, was born in 1990 and is still here with her mother at the Calgary Zoo.  

Canada's Most Famous Animal

Did you know that Kamala is the most famous animal in Canada? Although all of us here at the Calgary Zoo have known she was destined for greatness since she was but a wee pachyderm, it's now official. In the summer of 2003, an article was published in the British Airways Magazine, rating the 10 most famous animals in the world. Kamala, due to her creative talents, ended up seventh on the list. Since she was the only animal in Canada to make the list, she proudly holds the title of "Canada's Most Famous Animal."