Video from the San Diego Zoo Safari Park shows a herd of African elephants respond to the movement during Monday’s magnitude 5.2 earthquake, first running as the ground shakes, then coming together to form a tight circle around a young elephant. The group stayed tightly together for about four minutes. A zoo spokesperson said the behavior is called an “alert circle” and said it is “intended to protect the young — and the entire herd — from threats.”
The earthquake near Julian rattled much of Southern California and Tijuana just after 10 a.m. Monday, prompting brief evacuations in downtown San Diego and shaking cities as far away as Oxnard and Palm Springs.