ABQ BioPark elephant pregnant with fourth calf
ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. (KRQE) – Rozie, the popular elephant at the ABQ BioPark is having a baby. The ABQ BioPark made the big announcement on Tuesday but it comes with mixed reaction. While there’s a lot of excitement for Rozie, there are a lot of worries after her last three calves died from a virus that has been killing young elephants around the world.
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At 31 years old, Rozie has a baby bump and it all started with a date with Albert the elephant. “She was bred naturally. And then we also did artificial insemination,” said ABQ BioPark Zoo elephant curator Amber Alink. The zoo used donor semen from bulls at the Denver Zoo to increase the chances of pregnancy.
Rozie has now been pregnant for a year and has another year to go. “Really she shouldn’t gain more than around 500 pounds during a pregnancy but her weight has fluctuated,” said Alink.
It’s been a healthy pregnancy full of nutritious food and even pilates. “She’ll lift her limbs and bend and stretch just to keep her nice and flexible,” Alink said.
The staff has a deep connection with the elephants which made it tough to watch three of Rozie’s calves die. “Rozie was eight when I started at the BioPark. I have grown a really strong bond with her,” said Alink.
In 2015, five-year-old Daizy died. In 2021, three-year-old Thorn died on Christmas, and eight-year-old elephant Jazmine died days later shortly after the new year. They all tested positive for elephant endotheliotropic herpes virus. “sometimes we don’t know why… the virus will become active and we potentially have herd mates who are shedding the virus. That can affect younger more vulnerable members of the herd,” said Alink.
The virus impacts calves 18 months to eight years old. “It’s really knowing whether or not the herd that that calf is coming into carries those strains,” said Alink.
Early detection is key so they’ll start training the calf at three months old to be comfortable with testing their ears. Currently, samples are sent to the Smithsonian. The BioPark says by the time the calf is born, the zoo will have a testing facility at the zoo to get quicker results.
The zoo also does trunk washes with the elephants. “We collect a saline sample that could potentially have virus in it. And we’re testing that too so we can understand how our herd may be shedding virus now,” Alink said.
Young elephants have survived the virus and universities are working on a vaccine. The BioPark is part of the Asian Elephant Survival Program with only about 40,000 Asian elephants left worldwide. “It is vital that facilities that have Asian elephants are committed to growing our population because there are very few elephants left in the world,” said Alink.
The zoo understands there are concerns with breeding Rozie. “We appreciate that they are concerned about our herd. We are concerned too and we invite them to help us be champions and have a successful path that can continue beyond the EEH virus,” said Alink.
The baby is due around late December or early January.
