Kianga, her mother and the whole elephant herd (6 adult females and 2 calves) are doing well according to veterinarians and elephant managers. The first-time mother experienced a very short labor. With assistance from the animal care team, the newborn became comfortable using her "newly discovered" legs and began nursing successfully from Mom soon after her birth. For the first week the elephant management team helped Kianga nurse by providing a booster platform, because Kianga was too short to reach her mother's milk supply. However, after 7 days Kianga figured out how to climb on her mom's legs to get the boost she needed and hasn't had any difficulty since.

"African elephants are endangered and difficult to breed, and having a successful birth is a significant event both for the species and for our talented and experienced team of elephant experts who have been working on this breeding program for more than five years," said Dr. Beth Stevens, vice president of Disney's Animal Kingdom. Vasha, who is on loan from the Dallas Zoo, became pregnant through natural breeding on Oct. 4, 2002, when she mated with Jackson, a bull here on breeding loan from the Pittsburgh Zoo. This arrangement is part of the American Zoo and Aquarium Association (AZA) Elephant Species Survival Plan (SSP), a consortium of zoos and wildlife parks working cooperatively to conserve elephants.

"Vasha has turned out to be a very good mother and Kianga is extremely social. Kianga was introduced to all the other five adult females elephants and the 14 month old male calf, Tufani, within about 3 weeks of her birth," said John Lehnhardt, Animal Operations Director for Disney's Animal Kingdom. "She has been out on show daily since she was one month old. Guests can see the entire herd out in their savanna habitat on the Kilomanjaro Safari Ride. She now weighs over 600 pounds and has been gaining weight at a healthy rate of 1.5 pounds per day."

Lehnhardt noted that breeding African elephants is a challenging process, so it is especially exciting that this is the second African elephant to be born at Disney's Animal Kingdom. The male calf, Tufani, was born in May 2003 and has gained over 900 pounds as he approaches his second birthday. Lehnhardt said that because many of the elephants giving birth in zoos and wildlife parks are first-time mothers -- just as several of the elephant cows at Disney's Animal Kingdom are -- it is not unusual for the animals (both in the wild and in wildlife parks) to lose their first calf, either through a still birth or following the birth. He believes that observation and interaction with Tufani has helped the other elephants gain additional maternal knowledge, thus improving the success rate for the Animal Kingdom breeding program. Certainly, Kianga's integration into the herd was very fast and smooth. Two other elephants at Disney's Animal Kingdom are pregnant and due in 2005; one in the spring and the other in early winter.

Importance of Breeding Programs

African elephants are classified as endangered species by IUCN, the World Conservation Union, and their future in zoos and wildlife parks is complicated as the aging pachyderm population in North American zoos passes its reproductive prime.

Disney's Animal Kingdom has a breeding program that is part of a cooperative effort coordinated by the American Zoo and Aquarium Association (AZA) that is focused on sustaining the elephant population in North America.

AZA's Elephant Species Survival Plan (SSP) has called for a five-fold increase in African elephant reproduction efforts -- using both natural and artificial breeding methods -- in order to create a self-sustaining elephant population among North American zoos and wildlife centers.

Preparing For a Newborn

In the same way that people prepare their homes for a newborn baby, the staff at Disney's Animal Kingdom took steps to "baby proof" the elephant habitat to ensure that there were no hazards for a young elephant calf. The team has taken a critical look at the habitat and made many changes including planting more trees and shrubbery for shading purposes, closing gaps between boulders, and the installation of a shallow pool behind-the-scenes where the calf will be able to explore the water and learn to swim in a safe environment.

High-Tech Pregnancy

Vasha received extensive pre-natal care during her pregnancy. In addition to regular ultrasounds, veterinarians and elephant managers monitored her hormonal levels on a daily basis to help them determine when she would give birth. She has been receiving around-the-clock attention from the animal care team over the past few weeks as the birth became imminent.