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African Elephant Born At Wild Animal Park
March 13, 2009ESCONDIDO, Calif. -- An African elephant was born Friday at the San Diego Zoo's Wild Animal Park in Escondido, officials said.
The unnamed male calf was born at 3:16 a.m. to Umngani, which means "friend" in the SiSwati language, park officials said.
Keepers and researchers are monitoring the pair to ensure the mother properly cares for the newborn and to gather information about the calf's development, according to the Wild Animal Park.
The mother and baby will be slowly introduced to the rest of the now 12-member herd of African elephants at the Wild Animal Park over the next several days, park officials said.
The average gestation period for African elephants is 649 days, or 22 months, according to the Wild Animal Park. A newborn calf is about three feet tall and weighs about 250-300 pounds.
The mother was one of seven adult elephants rescued by the Wild Animal Park in 2003. The elephants were to be culled in Swaziland due to overpopulation.
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