In a remarkable event at the Fresno Chaffee Zoo in California, a second elephant calf in as many weeks has been born. Early Monday morning, African elephant Amahle delivered a healthy calf, marking a significant milestone for the zoo. This birth comes just 10 days after Amahle’s mother, Nolwazi, gave birth to another male calf, making these the first elephants born at the zoo.
Located approximately 150 miles southeast of San Francisco, the Fresno Chaffee Zoo has embarked on a dedicated program to breed elephants, aiming to ensure these majestic creatures can be enjoyed by visitors for years to come.
“To have two healthy calves is a historic milestone,” Jon Forrest Dohlin, the zoo’s chief executive, said in a statement Tuesday. “We cannot wait for the public to see the new additions to our herd and share in our excitement.”
For now, the elephants and their newborns will continue to be closely monitored behind the scenes. Although the zoo had expanded its elephant exhibit in preparation for this growing herd, the breeding program has not been without controversy. Some animal activists argue that elephants, with their complex needs, should not be kept in zoos.
The zoo’s breeding efforts began in earnest in 2022, when they brought in a male elephant named Mabu with the hope that he would mate with Amahle and Nolwazi. Given that elephants have a lengthy 22-month gestation period and relatively few offspring, the future of elephants in zoos heavily depends on successful breeding programs like this one.
