Elephant Herd Welcomes New Baby
Posted at 3:56 pm September 13, 2006 by Fred Bercovitch
Our new elephant calf weighs nearly as much as the two of us combined! On Monday night, at the Wild Animal Park, an elephant cow, Umngani, gave birth to a 209-pound (95-kilogram) daughter. She entered the world at 7:49 p.m. and, about 14 hours later, managed to find her way to mom’s nipple and taste milk for the first time in her life. Since then, she has nursed on a regular basis; elephant babies usually only suckle for short periods of time throughout the day and night. In general, they spend about two hours a day actually drinking from their moms.
The calf, which has yet to be named, was born on a moonlit night. The day before birth, the mother expelled a mucous plug, which is a good biological sign that birth will be soon. As a result, our team was prepared with a video camera and the birth was caught on film. Shortly after birth, Umngani, although a first-time mom, was encouraging her daughter’s independence. She prodded and poked her to stand and walk. Although this behavior might seem a little harsh, in the wild, it helps the youngster begin to walk as soon as possible. And after spending nearly two years in the womb, it’s a bit tough to stand on four legs and walk around!
The baby is now following mom around the upper yard at the Wild Animal Park. You can see the mother and calf if you walk to the African elephant observation area. The calf seems sort of gangly when she walks, but so do infant children when they first test out their legs. Not only is the calf following her mom, but also the mom is calling out to the rest of the herd. Elephants have a number of sounds that they emit in order to maintain their social bonds, and the two that have occurred a lot after the calf’s birth are called a “trumpet” and a “rumble.” Matt Anderson, Behavioral Biology Division/CRES, is recording these calls. Click the play button below to hear Umngani trumpeting to her friends. They usually trumpet back. It seems like the entire elephant family is happy to welcome their newest member!
Listen to Umngani’s trumpet call:
[audio:http://www.sandiegozoo.org/wordpress/wp-content/elephant_trumpet.mp3]
Fred Bercovitch is head of the Behavioral Biology Division of CRES.
Jeff Andrews is an animal care manager at the Wild Animal Park.
Watch the elephant herd on Elephant Cam.
See the first photos of our elephant baby.
Here’s video of the calf’s first day.
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September 13th, 2006 at 4:18 pm
Thank you for the update, Fred! The baby sounds so cute, and I’d love to hear more about her! Please post more updates soon!
September 14th, 2006 at 4:36 am
Great News! The birth of this baby is so great for such an endangered species. I was wondering, Fred- I hear that 3 other elephants are pregnant in the herd; could you tell us who they are and when it is estimated that each will give birth? Thanx
September 14th, 2006 at 9:01 am
Thanks, guys, for the update on the newest ” little” one in the elephant herd. I’ve been waiting for this and she looks sooooo cute. Please keep the updates coming. Aren’t there a few more babies expected?
Thanks again.
September 14th, 2006 at 10:04 am
I’ve been watching the baby on the cam-she is so cute! When will she get a name? Are the baby and mom being kept separate from the rest of the herd? It appears that way on the cam. And something I’ve always wondered-do elephants sleep laying down?
September 14th, 2006 at 10:10 am
How thrilling — this long awaited birth. I can hardly wait to see her. Congratulations, Umngani.
September 14th, 2006 at 10:24 am
Welcome to the world, you beautiful girl!! The picture with mom is too cute. And to think, this would not have happened if the SDZ didn’t save these wonderful animals. Boy!, Mabu has been one romantic guy. The ladies must be crazy about him. This new calf, then 2 more next year. Sounds like he needs to be in a pen by himself. Are you going to have enough room for everyone next year when the others arrive? or will some have to go to different zoos? It will be fun to watch the 3 little (well 200lbs + isn’t exactly little) calves together. Can’t wait.
September 14th, 2006 at 12:11 pm
Fred and Jeff, what a beautiful baby, who couldn’t resist those big wide open eyes and those large ears and all the bristles on her trunk and we can’t forget those crazy little legs. what’s not to love? Welcome to our world, you cutie pie.
September 14th, 2006 at 4:55 pm
Thanks for the update, Fred, and for taking such good care of the herd. Mabu is one busy guy. Bet he has a smile on his face!!!
September 14th, 2006 at 5:55 pm
Welcome to the world, sweetie! What an adorable little girl you are…
Congratulations to the entire Zoo/WAP family!
September 14th, 2006 at 6:19 pm
I’m hoping to be at the Park this weekend with my grandson, and can’t wait to see our newest celebrity. If she’s half as cute as little ” Moose” was at that age, she’ll be a real winner! Thank you so very much for giving us so many details about the birth and the first hours of her life. And also for the ” trumpet call.” It’s impressive!
September 15th, 2006 at 2:48 pm
I am so happy to hear Unmgani had her baby, I have been waiting and waiting for the news, she certainly is a cutie, I can hardly wait to see her tomorrow. I am glad to hear both Mom and baby are doing well and she is nursing. Thanks for letting us know how Mom and baby are doing…
September 15th, 2006 at 4:09 pm
Thanks for sharing the wonderful pictures and information on the new baby elephant. Huge thanks to the Wild Animal Park for saving these elephants and giving them a fabulous home.
September 15th, 2006 at 6:07 pm
I was so excited to see that Umngani finally gave birth! And on 9-11! What awesome news! The little calf is so cute, every pachydermiologist’s dream! Thanks for posting current imformation and maintaining the web cam, as those who are 1,000s of miles away can read about and see the cutest addition to the zoo!
September 16th, 2006 at 8:08 am
What a beautiful little girl! The other members of the herd really seem to want to get close to her and her mother. I’ve noticed several times that they will crowd around the fence and try to reach through the fence to inspect the newborn or touch Umngani. You seem to be introducing her to the herd slowly. In the wild do the other herd members pay particular attention to newborns? It’s difficult sometimes to tell these guys apart. Which one is it that you’ve been leaving in the pen with mom and baby?
September 16th, 2006 at 11:31 am
this is great, can’t wait for she and moosie to interract
September 16th, 2006 at 10:46 pm
Congrats to the WAP! This girl is the third calf in the country this year (one in ST Louis and in Springfield,MO). Very successful year in terms of breeding!
September 17th, 2006 at 11:22 am
CONGRATULATIONS to everyone involved! I have spent hours at the park and on the cam watching and waiting with all and I could hardly contain myself when I first saw the baby on the morning of the 12th on the cam! It was wonderful and fascinating watching the rest of the herd clustering as close to the area as they could and I was sure they were all communicating with their trunks in the air and telling the little girl, ” Welcome to the world” ! My daughter and I were able to go to the WAP on Friday the 15th and what a thrill! She is amazing! Blessings to our new PERFECT, PETITE, PRECIOUS, PACHYDERM and Umngani and, of course, Mabu and all of the other girls and Moosie! Blessings to all of you wonderful and dedicated keepers! Much Luv, Judy J
September 17th, 2006 at 1:16 pm
Thanks for the update and especially for including the elephant call–good use of the technology for our education and edification. I love you guys–your dedication really shows. Thanks.
September 17th, 2006 at 1:41 pm
i live in Alabama and am unable to visit your zoo. thank you for the weblogs, especially of the beautiful baby elephant. i sometimes see another elephant in the enclosure. is this to keep the mother relaxed and give her company?
September 17th, 2006 at 3:53 pm
I heard the great news from a friend and i was so happy to see the baby elephant from across the US. The close ups and pictures are great and i love to see the other elephants’ reactions to the new addition as well. Thanks for sharing the experience with all of us who can’t be there.
September 18th, 2006 at 11:56 am
Are there going to be more handlers hired to help in the care and enrichment of the Elephants ?
October 3rd, 2006 at 12:39 pm
I had the pleasure last Saturday of seeing Kandula in person for the first time at NZ. It is amazing how fast baby elephants grow. Look at how big Musi is already too. This baby will be big like the rest of the herd in no time. It is also difficult to pick out the younger ones unless there is an adult near them for size comparison. It is cute to watch her follow her mom around. I don’t know how mother elephants keep from tripping on the babies underneath them. I guess they know by smell, and sound, as well as intuitively where they are.
I love to see the pictures of the rest of the herd gathered around the fence to welcome the newcomer. Just imagine what it will be like with all those young elephants to frolic and play together in a year or so.
April 19th, 2007 at 2:23 pm
Hey! I’m so proud of the baby elephants! When was she born? I hope that everything goes well with her well i wnated to say hey Fred !!! Bye Bye
April 19th, 2007 at 2:25 pm
I love elephants! And I love baby elephants they are so cute! I’m glad that the baby is great I know yal must enjoy her!!
May 27th, 2007 at 10:48 am
Enjoyable read!
September 7th, 2007 at 3:07 pm
I love elephants! They are soooo cute! Congrats!!
September 15th, 2007 at 6:01 pm
wasn’t there a recent baby elephant birth at the wild animal park, just this past aug. 2007? I was waiting to hear about it but this never seems to get updated. how can i find out?
Moderator’s note: A Park elephant is expecting a calf soon. Stay tuned!