‘Precious’ baby of endangered species born at Ohio zoo, photos show. See him explore
An Ohio zoo welcomed a new addition to its family — a “precious” baby African elephant — a news release said.
The elephant, which does not not have a name, was born Feb. 17 at the Toledo Zoo after a successful artificial insemination process.
It was nearly a two-year gestation period for the calf’s mother, Renee, according to the zoo, where she’s been since 1982. The calf’s father is at the Sedgwick County Zoo in Wichita, Kansas.
“It took months of coordination working with our partners in the field,” Michael Frushour, the park’s general curator of endotherms, said in the release. “It takes a special team of experts to perform an elephant AI, and we prioritized working with the best professionals within the United States and from around the world to make sure that happened.”
The artificial insemination process helps zoos grow populations of declining species, such as African elephants.
African elephants are classified as “endangered” by the International Union for Conservation of Nature.
“Preserving the future of this species is critical to us, and we are committed to doing so. We’re looking forward to the new calf joining our herd, and we’re optimistic that he will fit in just fine,” Frushour said.
The zoo said both the mother and baby are in good health.
The zoo is holding a donation contest to vote for the calf’s name. Voters are choosing between Leap, Link, Loki, Leif and Leo.
The new elephant will make his public debut March 16, the zoo said.
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