‘A huge year’: Sedgwick County Zoo could welcome a U.S. record number of baby elephants
The Sedgwick County Zoo now expects to welcome five baby African elephants in 2025.
“You may be aware that our elephant herd at the zoo has four pregnancies right now. And we are so excited to tell you today that our fifth and final female is also pregnant, which means our entire breeding herd is now expecting,” zoo CEO Scott Newland told the County Commission on Wednesday morning.
If all five pregnancies are a success, Sedgwick County would become the first accredited zoo in the U.S. to have five elephant births in a year,” Newland said. Elephant pregnancies last 22 to 24 months.
“They’re essentially pregnant for two years. We will start having potential births at the end of next spring all through next summer,” Newland said.
“That’s going to be a huge year for our team, for our zoo, for our community.”
The five pregnant females are Simunye, Talia, Xolani, Arusi, and Zuberi. Only Simunye has given birth before, according to a zoo release.
“At the county, we have eight weeks paid parental leave. Do the elephants qualify for this benefit?” Chair Ryan Baty joked.
“No, not the elephants,” Newland said. “We may have to come up with something for the elephant team, though, because when we start going into birth watch, it’s going to be kind of a round-the-clock ordeal.”
In May, the zoo welcomed a male bull elephant named Callee from the Omaha Henry Doorly Zoo and Aquarium, joining fellow bulls Ajani and Titan. It’s not yet known which bull or bulls are responsible for the pregnancies.
Newland said these will be the first elephants ever born in a Kansas zoo.
