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Dickerson
Park Zoo
News
Release
Public
Relations Contact:
Melinda
Arnold, Public Relations Director
417-833-1570 (office)
or 417-848-0162 (cell)
marnold@dickersonparkzoo.org
For
Immediate Release: July 18, 2006
Note
to news directors, editors and assignment editors: To
ensure a quiet, comfortable environment and
minimize stress for the new mother and calf,
Dickerson Park Zoo is providing the initial
still photographs and video footage. Additional
photo/video opportunities will be announced
in the coming days.
Baby
elephant born overnight at Dickerson Park
Zoo
Birth is first pachyderm for Springfield
since 1999
Springfield,
MO -- A 238-pound female elephant calf was
born in the early morning hours at Dickerson
Park Zoo. The mother, 25-year-old Moola,
delivered the calf outdoors at the zoo's
new cow barn after a brief labor. This is
the sixth successful elephant birth at Dickerson
Park Zoo.
Since
last Friday, zookeepers have watched Moola
around the clock for signs of labor. Blood
tests late last week indicated her progesterone
levels were dropping, indicating pending
labor. The calf's birth at 1:35 a.m. Tuesday
was uneventful.
The
calf weighed 238 pounds at birth.
She stood within a few minutes of birth.
Moola and the calf will remain off exhibit
for a period of time to foster a strong
bond. The calf will be introduced to other
elephant cows in the zoo's herd before
venturing out into the exhibit yard for
the public to view her.
The
calf remains unnamed, and Dickerson Park
Zoo is preparing a community-wide naming
effort. Details will be announced next
week. This is the third calf born to Moola
and the second offspring for sire Sabu,
Dickerson Park Zoo's 18-year-old bull.
Moola's
first calf is Chandra, born in July 1996,
now living at Oklahoma City Zoo. Moola
was part of an historic occasion in 1999
with her second birth. That calf, Haji,
was the first in the world produced through
artificial insemination. Sadly, Haji
died in July 2002 of the elephant herpesvirus.
Dickerson
Park Zoo is accredited by the Association
of Zoos and Aquariums (AZA) and participates
in AZA's Species Survival Plan for the
captive management of Asian elephants.
The zoo houses an elephant herd of two
adult bulls, four adult cows and the
newborn calf.
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Dickerson
Park Zoo is accredited
by the Association of Zoos and Aquariums
(AZA). Look for the AZA logo whenever you
visit a zoo or aquarium as your assurance
that you are supporting a facility dedicated
to providing excellent care for
animals, a great experience for you and
a better future for all living things. With
its more than 200 accredited members,
AZA is a leader in global wildlife
conservation and your link to helping
animals in their native habitats.
For more information, visit www.aza.org.
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