Tess, a 29 year old Asian elephant delivered a healthy 273 pound female calf Sunday evening at the Houston Zoo’s McNair Asian Elephant Habitat. The calf has been named Tupelo by the Zoo’s elephant care team. Tupelo’s birth is the second Asian elephant birth at the Houston Zoo since May 4 when 19 year old Shanti delivered a male calf, Baylor. Thailand, the Houston Zoo’s 44 year old Asian bull elephant, is the father of both Baylor and Tupelo.
Attended by the Houston Zoo’s elephant care team and assisted by the Zoo’s veterinary staff, Tess delivered Tupelo at 7:38 p.m. Sunday, October 3. Tupelo was nursing approximately 4 hours later.
“This has been an incredible year for the elephant team at the Houston Zoo,” said Large Mammal Curator Daryl Hoffman. “Elephant births in zoos are rare with maybe 3 or 4 a year. To have two births in a span of 4 months speaks volumes about the caliber of care the Houston Zoo provides for the elephants that live here,” added Hoffman.
The Houston Zoo’s elephant care team will keep Tess and Tupelo under a 24-hour watch for the next few weeks. The barn at the McNair Asian Elephant Habitat is temporarily closed to the public but will reopen after the elephant care team can see signs that Tupelo and Tess are bonding and comfortable.
The Houston Zoo’s elephant care team, veterinary staff and a core group of Zoo volunteers have been monitoring Tess closely for the past 11 months. The routine intensified over the past 12 weeks with regular ultrasounds to monitor the baby’s health and blood work to gauge the mother’s progesterone level. Throughout the delivery, Tess was attended by the entire elephant care team and assisted by Zoo veterinarians and Zoo veterinary technicians.
More than 50 volunteers and Zoo staff began a seven-day a week, 24-hour birth watch in August. Utilizing a state-of-the art closed-circuit television system, the birth watch team observed and documented Tess’ behavior. When blood tests indicated Tess’ progesterone level had fallen to a low baseline level, Zoo veterinarians and members of the elephant care team remained at the McNair Asian Elephant Habitat around the clock watching for indications that labor might begin at any moment.
Weekly transabdominal ultrasounds begin May 25, 2010
Weekly transrectal ultrasounds begin July 9, 2010
Birth watch volunteer training July 28, 2010
Biweekly progesterone monitoring begins July 28, 2010
Birth watch begins with Zoo volunteers Aug. 7, 2010
Biweekly ultrasounds begin Aug. 8, 2010
Daily progesterone monitoring begins Aug. 25, 2010
Ultrasound frequency increased to three times per week Aug. 25, 2010
Elephant keepers join birth watch schedule Aug. 25, 2010
About Asian Elephants
Asian elephants are herbivores. At maturity, adult males can grow up to 10 feet tall (measured at the shoulders) and weigh up to 13,000 pounds. Adult females grow up to eight and a half feet tall and will weigh less than males. Amazingly, despite their weight, they are able to walk silently. The Asian elephant is the second largest land mammal in the world and one of the most intelligent animals on earth. Unfortunately, it is also one of the world’s most endangered species.
Fortunately for Asian elephants, there has been resurgence among zoos to bolster breeding efforts to help stabilize the population. The Houston Zoo’s Asian elephant breeding program falls under the auspices of the Elephant Species Survival Plan administered by the Association of Zoos and Aquariums (AZA).
At the turn of the 20th century, more than 100,000 Asian elephants roamed their native habitat. Today, only 35,000 remain in the wild—scattered among pockets of Nepal, India, Sri Lanka, Thailand, Bhutan, Indonesia and Vietnam. Decades of war, an explosive human population growth and intensive agriculture continue to shrink their once abundant territories, leaving them prone to poaching and starvation. Consequently, the gene pool for future generations of elephants is in a dire situation.
