Even though the baby was born about a month ahead of schedule, initial examinations showed him to be in good health. He passed his first milestone — nursing from his mother — just two hours after his 8:30 p.m. birth. Zoo staff are hopeful that the colostrum he received from his mother will protect him from infection.
"He's just adorable," Gagen said. "There's nothing like a baby elephant."
The calf also appears to be quite smart, Gagen said, explaining that he quickly learned to stand on a stepstool to reach his unusually tall mother's udders.
"So far he's very active, very straightforward and doesn't seem to be afraid of anything," she said. "He's very curious."
Kubwa has already formed a strong bond with the baby, Gagen said, and has proven herself to be an excellent mother.
The 29-year-old elephant doted on her first calf, Amali, who died two years ago of a massive infection.
"That was just the saddest day we had at the zoo, because she was just the sweetest calf, so we all wanted Kubwa to have another," Gagen said.
The zoo has not yet announced how the calf will be named but said he will not have to wait too long for a playmate: Another elephant at the zoo is due to deliver her second calf in September 2006.
Name: African Elephant (
Loxodonta africana)
Primary Classification: Proboscidea (Elephants)
Location: Africa.
Habitat: Wide range, including desert, scrub, savanna and high rainforest.
Diet: Bark, fruit, grass and leaves.
Size: Up to 16 ft in length, 13 ft in height, and 11 tons in weight.
Description: Gray, sparsely haired skin; large ears, which aid in temperature regulation; long, forward-curving ivory tusks, used for fighting, digging and eating; long, muscular trunk with two finger-like projections at the tip.
Cool Facts: It is the largest land mammal on Earth. It takes care of weak and injured pack members and grieves over dead companions. It has a particular fascination with the tusks and bones of dead elephants.
Conservation Status: Endangered
Major Threat: Poaching
What Can I Do?: Visit
Save the Elephants, the
African Wildlife Foundation, and the
Living With Elephants Foundation for information on how you can help endangered elephants.
