Next generation: Baby elephant born at Disney’s Animal Kingdom
An African elephant calf has been born at Disney’s Animal Kingdom theme park for the first time in seven years, the company reports.
The newborn is a female and is named Corra. Her mother is Nadirah, who was born at Animal Kingdom in 2005. This makes Corra, who weighs in at 218 pounds, the first second-generation African elephant birth at DAK. Nadirah’s mother Donna is still at Animal Kingdom, along with Nadirah’s sisters Luna and Stella.
It was the first birth for Nadirah, who became pregnant through natural breeding in 2022. (The pregnancy was 22 months, average for African elephants.) The birth was planned through the Association of Zoos and Aquariums Species Survival Plan, which tries to ensure responsible breeding of endangered animals in managed care.
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“Mother and baby will undergo continued post-natal exams and spend several days bonding before they are ready to join the rest of the herd,” Scott Terrell, director of animal and science operations for Walt Disney Parks & Resorts, wrote in a blog post on the official Disney Parks Blog. “During this bonding period, the elephant team is watching for the pair to share key moments like successful nursing and weight gain.”
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