Baby Elephant born at AK??

[CTXRover]

I read on screamscape (I realize from other threads that they aren't the most reliable source) that a baby elephant has recently been born at Animal Kingdom.

Does anyone, especially cast members at Animal Kingdom, know if this is true?

I remember reading that one thing Animal Kingdom keepers wanted to do was create an environment where the elephants could successfully mate (in captivity).

If this is true, this is GREAT news. (This is one reason the elephant habitat is so large. From what I understand, parts of it can't even be seen from the safari vehicles)

 

[Mr.MouseFan]

I can't confirm if an elephant has been born yet but I can tell you that a co-worker of mine took the backstage tour of AK and they were "baby proofing" parts of the elephant cages in the back.

 

[Mickeyman819]

if this is true, it is pretty cool. would this be the 1st elephant born in AK.

 

[CAPTAIN HOOK]

Mrs Dumbo is expecting a baby :sohappy:

 

[Epcot is my fav]

oh i hope thats true because thats good they wanted the elephants to mate!!!!

 

[durhay]

Ah, the circle of life at WDW. A dolphin dies at Living Seas, an elephant is born at AK.

 

[WDWFREAK53]

Originally posted by CAPTAIN HOOK
Mrs Dumbo is expecting a baby :sohappy:

HEY!!! Leave my mother out of this!

:lookaroun

(jk)

 

[sillyspook13]

As I heard, the elephant went into labor late friday or early Saturday. (Note- I heard this Saturday morning, but hadn't heard anything since.)

 

[CTXRover]

Originally posted by sillyspook13
As I heard, the elephant went into labor late friday or early Saturday. (Note- I heard this Saturday morning, but hadn't heard anything since.)

If she did go into labor Friday or Saturday, I hope the baby is doing ok. I would have thought they would have announced something like this. Maybe they are just being careful to make sure the baby is healthy. I hope both the Mom and baby are doing fine.

I look forward to hearing any additional news.

 

[Mirage]

I didn't know one of the Living Sea's dolphins died

That's really sad.

anyway, i don't know about an elephant, but there is a VERY little baby hippo there now. He can't be very old

 

[jwbeck3]

It's good when they are born there because then they live with the people their whole life, so they aren't afraid of humans or safari trucks.

 

[WEDMagic]

not yet

Hey the baby was not yet born but soon, the mother weights 9100 lbs and had gained a thoused since conception

 

[WDW John]

Re: not yet

Originally posted by WEDMagic
Hey the baby was not yet born but soon, the mother weights 9100 lbs and had gained a thoused since conception

Thanks for the info, can you let us know when she does give birth?

I can't wait to go down there to see a baby elephant. Of course, I can't wait to go down anyway!

 

[EchoOfOphelia]

Originally posted by Mirage
I didn't know one of the Living Sea's dolphins died

That's really sad.

anyway, i don't know about an elephant, but there is a VERY little baby hippo there now. He can't be very old

Just to let you know, the dolphin at the Living Seas died last May. There is a thread about (that was bumped back up) in the News and Rumors section if you want to check it out.

Oh and also... :lol: The very first time I went on the Kilamanjaro Safari at Animal Kingdom was in Feb of 2001. When we passed the hippo pond I saw two hippos out of the corner of my eye and just blurted out, "Oh my god, what are they doing?" without even thinking. My boyfriend (now fiance) put a gentle hand on my thigh and said, "They're wrestling dear." I was so emabarressed. I think everybody on the tram heard me and started laughing too. Then to top it all off, there were a bunch of black and brown birds standing on a little mini island in front of the hippos and when I said that, they all spread their wings to sheild the hippos as if to say, "Nothing to see here folks, this is a family park." I just about died laughing. :lol: I've actually got a picture of that, I'll post try and post it later on. Maybe those hippos are that baby's parents! :lol:

 

[Al]

a baby elephant!? wow!

 

[ToTBellHop]

This will not only be the first baby elephant at Animal Kingdom, but the first baby elephant born in ANY American zoological facility since the 70s...VERY big deal. For those of you who don't know, elephants will be going extinct in the wild by about 2030, so it's quite important to start breeding them in zoos, but that is quite tough to do...I could give you a full lesson on why (and it's VERY kewl), but that would take a while--no need for another long-winded email from me

 

[sillyspook13]

Re: Re: not yet

Originally posted by WDW John
Thanks for the info, can you let us know when she does give birth?

She's expected to give birth sometime this week.

BTW, there are two more pregnant elephants at Animal Kingdom. One is due this summer, and the other one next year.

 

[CTXRover]

For those of you interested, here is a link to an Orlando Sentinel article about the expected "bundle of joy".

http://www.orlandosentinel.com/entertainment/attractions/orl-livelephant17031703mar17.story

I hope that the baby is born without any complications. As the article hints at, if the baby survives it will be an amazing event for AK! It would surely show how Animal Kingdom is a top-notch "wildlife reserve".

For me, this is the type of thing that makes Animal Kingdom one of the top parks in Florida.

 

[BUZZ BABE 34]

yup!!! i was told a couple days ago that we are proud parents of a bouncing baby elephant! aint life wonderful:sohappy:

 

[Ituri13]

This will not only be the first baby elephant at Animal Kingdom, but the first baby elephant born in ANY American zoological facility since the 70s...VERY big deal. For those of you who don't know, elephants will be going extinct in the wild by about 2030, so it's quite important to start breeding them in zoos, but that is quite tough to do...I could give you a full lesson on why (and it's VERY kewl), but that would take a while--no need for another long-winded email from me

Actually, the National Zoo in Washington DC had a baby Asian elephant last year, the woodland park zoo also had a baby Asian elephant either last year or the year before, and the Indianapolis Zoo had two African elephant calves born in 2000. Granted the births were all by artificial insemination, but they were births none the less. However, there are VERY few zoos with breeding age African elephants right now, Animal Kingdom being one of them. It still is a VERY big deal.