ST. LOUIS – The Saint Louis Zoo is welcoming only the second male elephant to be born at its facility.
On Monday, Rani (pronounced “Ronnie”), a 23-year-old Asian elephant, gave birth to a calf just before 2 p.m.
Tim Thier, curator of mammals/ungulates and River’s Edge, and director of the Saint Louis Zoo WildCare Institute Center for Asian Elephant Conservation, said Rani and the baby are doing well.
The calf has yet to be named. The zoo has not decided on a debut date as Rani and the calf bond.
Raja, the zoo’s 27-year-old bull elephant, is the father. He was the first Asian elephant born at the zoo in 1992. This is his fifth offspring.
An elephant pregnancy lasts about 22 months and a newborn weighs about 250 to 350 pounds.
