First second-generation African elephant born at Disney's Animal Kingdom: Meet Corra

There’s a new addition at Disney’s Animal Kingdom in Bay Lake, Florida, and she weighs a whopping 218 pounds.

An African elephant calf named Corra was recently born at the resort, making her the first African elephant born there in seven years.

She is bonding with her mother, Nadirah, and will join the rest of the herd once the resort’s animal keepers, veterinary team and scientists complete their postnatal exams. Corra will nurse and work to get her weight up even more during this period.

“This is Nadirah’s first calf, making this birth extra special because Nadirah herself was born at Disney’s Animal Kingdom in 2005, making her the first second-generation calf,” the resort wrote on its website.

Calf’s birth is part of Species Survival Plan for endangered animals

Nadirah became pregnant in early 2022 and her pregnancy lasted for nearly 22 months, Disney’s Animal Kingdom reported.

Her pregnancy was planned through the Association of Zoos and Aquariums Species Survival Plan, a program put into place to make sure endangered species are bred responsibly, the resort said.

The southern white rhino is also included in the plan and, according to resort experts, at least 12 of them have been born at the resort.

African elephants like Corra and Nadirah can be found in 37 countries in Africa, according to the World Wildlife Fund. They use their trunks for communication and handling objects.

According to the organization, there are two species of African elephants: the savanna or bush elephant and the forest elephant.

Savanna elephants are larger than forest elephants and their tusks curve outward. Forest elephants are darker and they have straighter tusks that point downward, the WWF reported.

Forest elephant populations are declining due to poaching for the international ivory trade, habitat loss and fragmentation.

Family and its importance to African elephants

Family means a lot to elephants, resort experts said. Once new mom Nadirah went into labor, her sister Luna stood by her side to comfort her, the resort said.

Waiting to meet baby Corra are her grandma, Donna, and her other aunt, Stella.

“It’s common for adult females in the herd to assist in raising young elephants until they are considered to be independent, typically around 8 years old,” the resort wrote on its website. “These family bonds will only grow stronger as the calf gets older.”

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Disney's Animal Kingdom elephant birth: Meet Nadirah's daughter, Corra