Trunk-Load to be Thankful For

Houston Zoo Welcomes Baby Elephant

The Houston Zoo has a BIG reason to give thanks this season. On Friday, November 15, at 3 p.m., 34-year-old Asian elephant Shanti gave birth to a healthy and strong 314-pound female elephant, named Kirby, after a 19-hour labor. Kirby was standing within six minutes, walking 25 minutes later, and began nursing within an hour and a half of being born. Shanti has been under the watchful care of the Zoo’s elephant and veterinary teams throughout her 21-month long pregnancy. This extended gestation period is typical for pachyderms, as they have one of the longest pregnancies of any land mammal.

Shanti gave birth in the McNair Asian Elephant Habitat cow barn under the supervision of her keepers and veterinary staff. Shanti and Kirby underwent post-natal exams and will spend several days bonding behind the scenes before they are ready to make their public debut. During the bonding period, the elephant team is watching for the pair to share several key moments like communicating with mom and hitting weight goals.

Just by visiting Houston Zoo, guests help save baby elephants and their families in the wild. A portion of each zoo admission and membership goes straight to protecting wild elephants in Asia. The Bornean elephant population has increased since the Houston Zoo started its wildlife saving support in 2007. The Houston Zoo provides funds for elephant conservationist, Nurzhafarina “Farina” Othman and her team in Asia, to put tracking collars on wild elephants. The collars are used to follow wild elephants, collecting valuable movement data that is used to inform future protection for the elephant families as they travel through the forests.