The Fresno Chaffee Zoo in California is celebrating a significant milestone with the birth of its second elephant calf in just two weeks. Early Monday morning, African elephant Amahle welcomed her new calf into the world. This event closely follows the birth of another male calf, born just 10 days earlier to Amahle’s mother, Nolwazi.
These births mark the first elephant calves to be born at the zoo, located about 150 miles southeast of San Francisco. The zoo has initiated a breeding program with the goal of allowing future generations of zoo visitors the opportunity to observe these magnificent animals up close.
“To have two healthy calves is a historic milestone,” remarked Jon Forrest Dohlin, the zoo’s chief executive, in a statement released Tuesday. “We cannot wait for the public to see the new additions to our herd and share in our excitement.”
Currently, both the adult elephants and their newborn calves are being monitored closely behind the scenes. Dohlin noted that while the zoo has expanded its elephant exhibit in anticipation of growing its herd, some animal activists have raised concerns. They argue that the complex needs of elephants cannot be adequately met in a zoo environment and that these animals should not be bred in captivity.
In 2022, the zoo introduced a male elephant named Mabu with the hope that he would mate with the two females, Amahle and Nolwazi. Given that elephants have a long gestation period of 22 months and relatively few offspring, successful breeding programs are deemed crucial for the future of elephants in zoos.
