It’s a girl! An African elephant calf was born in the early morning hours of July 18th at the Pittsburgh Zoo & PPG Aquarium's International Conservation Center in Somerset, Pennsylvania.
Both mother and baby are bonding and doing well. The healthy calf was born at just under three feet tall and weighed in at 218 pounds.
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This is the first calf for new mom, Sukuri, who had no issues during her pregnancy and is very attentive to her newborn. The pregnancy was a result of natural breeding with resident bull elephant, Jackson.
"We are delighted that the pregnancy and birth went smoothly. Initial introductions are going very well, with both mom and calf staying close to each other," Willie Theison, lead elephant care specialist at both the ICC and the Pittsburgh Zoo, said in a statement. "As with any newborn, we are now tracking encouraging progress with parameters like weight, bloodwork, and feeding."
The baby elephant is expected to remain with her mom at the International Conservation Center. The ICC is located on approximately 1,000 acres and is the only facility of its kind in North America that specializes in the care and breeding of African elephants. The ICC enables the Pittsburgh Zoo to play a major leadership role in addressing the needs for the species in North America.
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