Watch: Asian elephant gives birth to healthy calf at Oregon Zoo

Ben Hooper
·1 min read

Feb. 3 (UPI) -- The Oregon Zoo announced a 30-year-old Asian elephant gave birth to a healthy baby girl after more than 20 months of pregnancy.

The zoo said mother elephant Rose-Tu gave birth to a baby girl on Saturday.

"We couldn't be happier with how everything is going so far," Steve Lefave, who oversees the zoo's elephant program, said in a news release. "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."

The mother and baby are being given time to bond in an off-exhibit area and the calf will make her debut to the public at a later date, the zoo said.

"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."

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