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Happy birthday, baby.
At 4:29 pm Saturday, Feb, 1, the Oregon Zoo’s 30-year-old Asian elephant Rose-Tu delivered a 200-pound bundle of joy. The calf appears to be a healthy, strong female, but zoo staff has kept its distance so far to give the pair time to bond.
“We couldn’t be happier with how everything is going so far,” said Steve Lefave, who oversees the zoo’s elephant program, in a statement. “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.”
After a marathon 20 months of pregnancy, Rose-Tu went into active labor around 3 pm Saturday and delivered the baby about an hour and a half later.
“Rose is a fantastic mom,” Lefave 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 mom and baby are doing just fine on their own.”
At the calf’s first checkup, veterinary staff will weigh the baby and confirm its sex. The zoo is not giving a concrete timeline for when the new baby will be ready for visitors, just once he or she feels comfortable enough to spend time in Forest Hall.
The zoo announced Rose-Tu’s pregnancy in late 2023. Zoo staff had been on baby watch since Jan. 29, when Rose-Tu’s progesterone levels dropped to near zero, indicating labor should begin soon. The father is 25-year-old male elephant Samson.
The Oregon Zoo enlisted the help of the public in naming Rose-Tu’s last calf, Lily. More than 50,000 people voted online to name the then-10-day-old calf. Lily died suddenly in 2018 at age 6 from a viral infection. Rose-Tu’s firstborn, Samudra, is a 16-year-old male and lives at the Oregon Zoo.
Video of Rose-Tu’s new baby: