Welcome Kirby: A 314-pound baby elephant at the Houston Zoo!
Kirbi’s mother, Shanti, experienced a 19-hour labor, as stated by the zoo
The Houston Zoo proudly introduces its newest member, a baby elephant weighing 314 pounds.
Kirby made her debut on Friday, November 15. The 34-year-old Shanti, her mother, was in labor for an impressive 19 hours at the McNair Asian Elephant Habitat located within the Texas zoo.
The zoo shared that, “Kirby stood up just six minutes after birth, started walking within 25 minutes, and begun nursing about an hour and a half later.” Throughout Shanti’s 21-month pregnancy, the zoo’s elephant and veterinary teams closely monitored her health.
Kirby belongs to a family of Asian elephants
The zoo has mentioned that Kirby and her mother will have opportunity for important bonding moments before they make their first appearance to the public.
Reports by KHOU indicate that Kirby has two older siblings named Nelson and Joy, while her father is a 58-year-old elephant known as Thailand.
As reported by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Asian elephants are classified as an endangered species, with a remaining population estimated between 30,000 and 50,000 in the wild, primarily due to human impact.
