When danger strikes, elephants know what to do.

On Monday, a 5.2 magnitude earthquake hit San Diego County, California. Boulders tumbled into roads. Products fell off store shelves. Thankfully, the quake caused no injuries or major damage.

But it did spook the elephants at San Diego Zoo Safari Park.

Zoo cameras captured the herd’s response. When the rumbling began, the elephants ran. They scattered in different directions. Then something changed. The grown-up elephants got organized.

Ndula, Umngani, and Khosi are the older elephants of the herd. They rounded up the younger elephants. The two seven-year-old calves are named Zuli and Mkhaya. The herd formed a circle around them.

Little Mkhaya scurried into the group’s center for shelter. But Zuli stayed on the edge. He’s the herd’s only male elephant. Did he want to show off his courage? Someday, he will become a full-grown bull. Then he’ll join the other males at the zoo.

The herd stayed huddled until after the rumbling passed. The older elephants looked outward. They watched closely. Their big ears flapped.

Experts call this an “alert circle.” When elephants sense a threat, they bunch together. The older ones guard the outside. They protect the young ones in the middle. 

“They sort of freeze as they gather information about where the danger is,” says Mindy Albright. She’s the mammal curator at San Diego Zoo Safari Park. Curators manage and care for the animals and exhibits.

 God gives animals amazing instincts to protect themselves. Elephants have high intelligence. They can feel sound through their feet. Imagine what an earthquake must have felt like to them! Maybe it sounded like a coming stampede or a nearby predator.

“It’s so great to see them doing the thing we all should be doing—that any parent does, which is protect their children,” says Ms. Albright.

We are God’s children. When danger comes, He protects us. We never need to fear. We have a mighty Father!

He will cover you with His pinions, and under His wings you will find refuge; His faithfulness is a shield and buckler. — Psalm 91:4