There’s Joy at the Houston Zoo with the birth of a 305-pound baby elephant.
After a two-year pregnancy, Shanti gave birth Wednesday night after a short labor. The team that cares for the zoo’s elephants named the newborn Joy.
“Our animal team is thrilled that the birth has gone smoothly,” said Lisa Marie Avendano, vice president of animal operations at the Houston Zoo. “We look forward to continuing to watch Joy and Shanti bond, and introducing her to Houston.”
Joy will wear a harness for a few days because baby elephants are a little wobbly when they’re first born.
Photos: Baby elephant, 'Joy', born at the Houston Zoo
Shanta, 26, and her daughter will spend time bonding in private before the newborn makes her public debut.
They will live in the zoo’s expanded elephant habitat which immerses guests into the lives and culture of Asian elephants.
Just by visiting the Houston Zoo, guests help save baby elephants and their families in the wild. A portion of each zoo admission and membership goes straight to protecting an estimated 200-250 wild elephants in Asia. Since the Houston Zoo started its work in Borneo in 2007, there has been a doubling of the elephant population on the island.