Omaha Zoo Celebrates Birth of African Grey Elephant Calf
On Tuesday, Omaha's Henry Doorly Zoo announced the exciting news of the birth of another baby elephant. Four baby elephants had been previously born at the zoo.
The Omaha zoo posted the wonderful news to their Facebook page.
The Post reads, in part, "We have been anticipating the birth of Jayei’s calf,” said Sarah Armstrong, the Zoo’s elephant manager. “She is our most experienced mom and was pivotal in the successful births of our first three calves to first-time moms."She added: “What we watched Sunday morning was simply incredible. After about three hours of labor, Jayei delivered a female calf. She was calm and confident in helping her new calf to her feet. The rest of the herd seemed very alert, curious and even anxious, but Jayei remained relaxed and attentive to her calf. Because of Jayei’s experience as a mother and the time of year, she was given access to the outdoor habitat just four hours after the birth of her calf. The elephant care team was fortunate enough to share the calf’s first moments outside with many of our guests Sunday morning.”
@Rebecca comments, "What a joy!!! Congrats to the elephant care team who worked so hard for this moment, and truly a big congratulations to Jayei on the birth of a beautiful baby girl!!" @Beth adds, "This is just so exciting!! Four babies and still one more to come."
The reason why the birth of this calf is cause for celebration is because these elephants are listed as threatened under the Endangered Species Act.
According to the World Wildlife Fund, Numbering three to five million in the last century, African elephant populations were severely reduced to its current levels because of hunting. In the 1980s, an estimated 100,000 elephants were killed each year and up to 80% of herds were lost in some regions. In recent years, growing demand for ivory, particularly from Asia, has led to a surge in poaching.
We will keep you updated as to when the fifth baby elephant arrives!
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