Oregon Zoo welcomes baby elephant

The Oregon Zoo in Portland, in the US, has welcomed its newest addition, a baby elephant.

Thirty-year-old Asian elephant Rose-Tu gave birth on Saturday after 20 months of pregnancy, the zoo said.

The calf appeared to be a 200lb female, but zoo staff are giving them time to bond before conducting a first checkup to confirm weight and sex.

“We couldn’t be happier with how everything is going so far,” Steve Lefave, who oversees the zoo’s elephant programme, said.

“This was one of the smoothest births I’ve ever seen. Rose knew just what to do. She helped her baby up right away. The kid was standing on her own within 15 minutes and took her first steps soon after that.”

Rose-Tu and her baby, who is nursing regularly, are doing well, Kelsey Wallace, from the zoo’s communications team said on Tuesday.

The calf is Rose-Tu’s third baby. Her first, 16-year-old Samudra, also lives at the zoo. Her second calf, Lily, died from a virus in 2018, just before she turned six.

It might be a while before the new baby and Rose-Tu are ready for visitors. Staff want to make sure the calf continues to do well, and that Rose-Tu is calm and comfortable with people around, Mr Lefave said.

“Rose is a fantastic mum,” he said. “She’s so gentle and protective, and the calf is already nursing well.

“These are signs that they will have a strong bond, which is exactly what we want to see. We’re ready to help if needed, but so far mum and baby are doing just fine on their own.”

The zoo supports a broad range of efforts to help wild elephants, and its elephant care programme has spanned more than 60 years, according to a statement.