Buba, the first Asiatic elephant born in the history of Madrid Zoo, arrived on 28 February 2013 with a weight of 100 kilogrammes after a 21-month gestation period. Although becoming more independent of his mother he still seeks her company as you can see in this footage. Of course, food is a good reason to stay close to its mother. As for the first 3 to 5 years, most elephant calves are totally dependant on their mothers for their nutrition. After this period the weaning period starts until the calf no longer drinks milk from its mother, and is able to live on solid vegetation.