OKC Zoo Welcomes New Baby Elephant

The Oklahoma City Zoo announced the birth of a new baby elephant Wednesday.

The zoo said after an almost 2-year pregnancy, mother Asha, gave birth to a female calf named Kairavi (Kai), which means moonlight in Sanskrit, on Tuesday, Oct. 9, at 11:30 p.m.

The two are in good health and residing in the zoo’s new Sanctuary Asia habitat, according to report.  The new calf was standing after only 12-minutes post-delivery, and nursing after just 40 minutes.

With the birth of Kairavi there are now seven elephants at the zoo.

 “Asha is an exceptional mother and there is no doubt our new arrival, Kai, will thrive with her elephant family,” said Nick Newby, assistant curator, large mammals. “Not only are we are excited to welcome this new addition to the herd after 22 months of waiting, Kai’s arrival is a testament to the Zoo’s commitment to elephant conservation, and we can’t wait to introduce her to our guests.”