A family of Asian elephants at the Houston Zoo just grew by more than 300 pounds. At 3 p.m. on Friday, 34-year-old Asian elephant Shanti gave birth to a “healthy and strong” 314-pound female elephant after a 19-hour labor. The birth took place in the McNair Asian Elephant Habitat cow barn under the supervision of Shanti’s keepers and veterinary staff. Shanti’s bundle of joy has been named Kirby.
“Kirby was standing within six minutes, walking 25 minutes later, and began nursing within an hour and a half of being born,” the zoo said in a statement. “Shanti and Kirby underwent post-natal exams and will spend several days bonding behind the scenes before they are ready to make their public debut.”
During the bonding period, the zoo’s elephant team will be watching out for Shanti and Kirby to share key moments, like communicating and hitting weight goals. Amid her 21-month-long pregnancy, Shanti was closely monitored by the zoo’s elephant and veterinary teams, the zoo said. The extended gestational period is typical for pachyderms, as they have one of the longest pregnancies of any land mammal.
Kirby’s father is Shanti’s longtime boyfriend, 58-year-old Asian elephant Thailand. This is Shanti’s seventh calf born at the Houston Zoo .
Asian elephants are classified as endangered according to the International Union for Conservation of Nature Red List. There are an estimated 30,000 to 50,000 in the wild, with continued declines mainly caused by habitat loss, human-elephant conflict and poaching…