Click to watch raw video of baby elephant

After 22 months of tender loving care, Shanti, the Houston Zoo’s 15 year old Asian elephant, delivered a male calf of record breaking proportions this morning. The as yet unnamed calf tips the scales at 384 pounds.  “He’s a real 4 by 4. He measures 40 inches from his head to his rump and he stands 40 inches tall,” said Zoo Director Rick Barongi.   He’s a big strong boy and the largest elephant calf ever delivered in a zoo accredited by the Association of Zoos and Aquariums (AZA),” added Barongi. 

Houston Zoo

Shanti, the Houston Zoo's 15-year-old elephant, gave birth to a healthy baby boy Sunday morning.

The average weight of a newborn elephant is about 200 pounds.

Shanti went into labor shortly before 4:30 this morning and delivered the baby at 4:45 a.m.   “It was very quick,” said Large Mammal Curator Daryl Hoffman.  “The keepers helped him to his feet but he was standing on his own within a couple of hours and started nursing at about 9:45 this morning,” added Hoffman.   “Mother and baby are doing fine.  We’ve see the calf nurse eight or 10 times since he stood,” said Hoffman. Thai, the baby’s father, is 41 years old.

More than 50 volunteers and Zoo staff began a seven-day a week, 24-hour birth watch in late July.  Utilizing a closed-circuit television system, the birth watch team observed and documented Shanti’s behavior.  When blood tests indicated Shanti’s progesterone level had fallen to a low baseline level, the team began watching for signs indicating that she might begin labor soon. 

Immediately after the calf was born, the Zoo’s veterinary team performed a neonatal exam.  “We weighed the calf and took a blood sample.” said Houston Zoo Senior Veterinarian Dr. Joe Flanagan.  “After 690 days of extremely hard work, we are very excited to finally see this big, beautiful, healthy calf,” said Zoo Elephant Supervisor Martina Stevens. 

Elephant keepers will keep mother and calf under a 24-hour watch for the next few weeks.    The elephant exhibit is currently closed to the public but will reopen once successful bonding between Shanti and her calf is established.  This is Shanti’s second birth.  

Zoo veterinarians have been monitoring Shanti closely for the past seven months.  The routine intensified over the past month with weekly ultrasounds and blood work to gauge the mother’s progesterone level.   

The Zoo is asking Houstonians to help select a name for the baby.  “Zoo keepers will provide a list of proposed names.  Then we’ll post the names on our Web site and ask visitors to vote for their favorite,” said Barongi. 

Asian elephants are herbivores that can grow up to 21 feet long, stand up to 10 feet tall and weigh up to 11,000 pounds.  Females reach about eight and a half feet tall and weigh less than males.  Amazingly, despite their weight, they are able to walk silently.  The Asian elephant is the second largest land mammal in the world and one of the most intelligent animals on earth.  Unfortunately, it is also one of the world’s most endangered species.          

Approximately 300 Asian elephants currently live in North American zoos; however, a number of factors are seriously jeopardizing their sustainability:  a rapidly aging population and age-related deaths, low birth rates and an insufficient number—less than 30—of breeding bulls (male elephants).  Also, if cows (female elephants), are not bred by age 25, their reproductive ability is immensely diminished.  In the wild, Asian elephants may live up to about 60 years; however, most do not live that long.

Fortunately for the endangered species, there has been a resurgence among zoos to bolster breeding efforts to help stabilize the population.  The Houston Zoo’s Asian elephant breeding program falls under the auspices of the Elephant Species Survival Plan administered by the Association of Zoos and Aquariums (AZA).

At the turn of the 20^th century, more than 100,000 elephants roamed their native habitat.  Today, only 35,000 remain in the wild—scattered among pockets of Nepal, India, Sri Lanka, Thailand, Bhutan, Indonesia and Vietnam.  Decades of war, an explosive human population growth and intensive agriculture continue to shrink their once abundant territories, leaving them prone to poaching and starvation.  Consequently, the gene pool for future generations of elephants is in a dire situation.