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California Zoo Celebrates Birth of Second African Elephant in 10 Days

The little one is so cute.

Fresno Chaffee Zoo in California is celebrating the birth of another African Elephant, its second in ten days. 

On August 26, 2024, the Fresno Chaffee Zoo welcomed an African Elephant Calf into the family, just 10 days after their last Elephant calf. Take a look!

On Instagram, the zoo shared some footage of the new baby and details on the birth, and why it's such an incredible time at the zoo.

"More big news," the zoo shared. "On Monday, August 26th, first-time mom, Amahle, gave birth to a healthy male calf with Nolwazi and her calf close by."

In the video, we get to see the new little baby being born!

"On Monday morning, our animal care teams noticed Amahle showing signs of labor," the text on the video reads. "Shortly after, at 9:48 am, she gave birth to a healthy male calf. Nolwazi and her calf watched while Amahle delicately cleaned him off. Soon after he was up, following mom around."

The zoo shared that both baby and mom are "doing well" and are receiving "around-the-clock" monitoring and care from the animal care team.

"After nearly two years of anticipation, we are excited to welcome both calves to our herd. Watch to see the moment she delivered," the Instagram caption read.

In the comments, people were happy to celebrate the new baby.

One wrote, "Oh, how she went down on her knees to be close, and the other little baby is checking it out! Wow, just like in the wild with her herd there supporting her."

Another shared, "I love how the other mom was concerned and stretching her trunk towards the baby."

Someone else wrote, "Such a beautiful moment Elephants are awesome l think l like them more so then other animals They show us what a calm and peaceful existence!"

One added, "Incredible! So crazy that their pregnancies last 18-22 months!" 

This new baby is the second African Elephant to be born at the zoo this year, and the first two born at the Fresno Chaffee Zoo. Ten days earlier, Amahle's mom, Nolwazi, who can be seen in the video of Amahle giving birth, gave birth to a male calf, too. And it's a big deal for the zoo. 

“To have two healthy calves is a historic milestone,” Jon Forrest Dohlin, the zoo’s chief executive, said in a statement Tuesday to ABC News. “We cannot wait for the public to see the new additions to our herd and share in our excitement.”

African Elephant Facts

According to the World Wildlife Foundation (WWF), African Elephants are the "largest animals walking the Earth." Their shoulder height is around 11 feet, and they're 19 to 24 feet long. They weigh approximately six tons and can be found wandering through 37 countries in Africa.

The organization notes that only approximately 415,000 are left in the wild, a big decline over the past century.

"Numbering three to five million in the last century, African elephant populations were severely reduced to their current levels because of hunting," WWF writes. "In recent years, growing demand for ivory, particularly from Asia, has led to a surge in poaching. Populations of elephants—especially in southern and eastern Africa—that once showed promising signs of recovery could be at risk due to the recent surge in poaching for the illegal ivory trade."

Given the dropping populations, any new African Elephant calves are a good thing, and we're excited to watch the two at the Fresno Chaffee Zoo grow!

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