It’s a girl! Baby elephant born at Texas zoo
maylen
HOUSTON (NEXSTAR) — The Houston Zoo welcomed a new elephant to its herd Wednesday morning.
Tupelo, a 10-year-old Asian elephant, gave birth to the still-to-be-named female calf at 11 a.m., according to the zoo.
“Our animal team is thrilled that the birth has gone smoothly,” Lisa Marie Avendano, vice president of animal operations at the Houston Zoo, said in a statement. “We look forward to continuing to watch Tupelo and her baby bond and introducing her to Houston.”
It’s the first baby for Tupelo, who was artificially inseminated because she is related to all of the male elephants at the zoo. There are now five male and seven female elephants at the Houston Zoo.
The 284-pound calf began to nurse within hours of her birth and will be isolated with her mother for bonding time, post-natal checkups and weight gain before she joins the larger group.
It’s been a year since the zoo welcomed the last Asian elephant calf, Nelson.
