ELEPHANT BABY UPDATE

(EDITOR’S NOTE: Interviews/questions with staff will be available during an upcoming press conference at a later date.)

The African elephant at the Louisville Zoo, born at 8:45 p.m. on March 18, continues to bond with his mother, Mikki.

“The bonding is going very well,” said General Animal Curator Steve Wing.

At a recent weigh-in, the baby weighed 265 pounds.

“It is typical that an elephant calf will lose nearly 10 percent of its body weight in the first few days of life,” Zoo Veterinarian Roy Burns said. “The weigh loss is associated with learning to nurse and drying of the skin as the calf adapts to life in dry air as compared to the moist womb.”

The baby is nursing every two hours and exploring his new surroundings more and more each day. He has been deemed a quick learner by the elephant staff.

“But he is definitely a little bull,” Wing laughed.

He also seems to have a mind of his own. When the staff needs the baby elephant to go forward, he goes backward. When they need him to go to the left, he goes to the right.

Even though the staff is still on 24-hour baby care, they smile through the long hours.

“I’ve waited my whole career for something as special as this,” said Elephant Supervisor Dave Campbell. “I wouldn’t miss it for the world.”

Mother and baby are off display as they continue to bond. The Zoo will introduce the baby to the media and public soon. A naming contest will be announced when details are finalized. For baby updates, visit www.louisvillezoo.org.

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The Louisville Zoo is the state zoo of Kentucky and a 501(c)(3) not-for-profit organization. Our collections, which include botanical gardens, are accredited by the American Association of Museums (AAM) and by the Association of Zoos and Aquariums (AZA), which is building North America’s largest wildlife conservation movement by engaging and inspiring over 143 million visitors and their communities to care about and take action to help protect wildlife."

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