Often in cartoons when we were kids, we saw elephants jumping when they were startled or scared. More than often, it also included mice or spiders scaring them (remember Badou from Babar?). Since it involved a mouse, it’s quite hard to say that this happened in their natural habitat — a clue to the myth.
Sorry to break it to you — it’s a myth. Elephants can’t jump. And there really isn’t any difference between adult elephants or baby elephants. Neither can jump.
The reason why elephants can’t jump has a lot to do with their anatomy. For starters, elephants are really, really heavy. African elephants weigh in at around an average of 13,000 pounds (5,800 kilograms). That’s about the same as 10 mid-size cars. But it’s not just their weight — it’s also their legs, their bone structure, and their evolutionary history.
The short answer: No — elephants cannot jump. Even at full speed, at least one foot always remains on the ground. This is structural: their weight, bone arrangement, and lack of tendon elasticity make jumping physically impossible.