A first for Nebraska. Omaha’s Henry Doorly Zoo gave a sneak peek of their latest addition, a female calf elephant born last Friday.
Zoo Director Dennis Pate says this is the first elephant birth at the zoo and a first for the state. The calf is doing fine others are doing well with the new addition.
Pate says this is an important step in sustaining the elephant population in North America. Pate says, “What has sustained them so far were the imports that Dallas Sedgwick and Omaha did. The births haven’t kept up with the deaths, elephants aging out. But this calf and the next one gives us hope we will be able to build a more sustainable population.”
The zoo’s elephant, Claire, is also expecting and the arrival of her calf will be in the next two weeks or so.
Pate says, “This year, in the entire United States, these two will be the only elephants born. If you want to see a (baby) elephant in North America, you have to come to Omaha, Nebraska to see it.”
Pate says it will be a few more weeks before the new baby will be on display to the public.