PHOTO NEWS RELEASE
Baby Elephant Makes Grand Entrance at San Diego Zoo Safari Park
SAN PASQUAL VALLEY, 2012-08-29 — /travelprnews.com/ — Hours after birth on Tuesday, an unnamed female African elephant made her public debut at the San Diego Zoo Safari Park. The 205-pound calf was born at 3:39 a.m. to the Safari Park’s matriarch, Swazi. The calf was on her feet within a few minutes of birth. The average gestation period for African elephants is 649 days or 22 months. A newborn calf averages 200 to 268 pounds. The calf was born on exhibit, and when the Park opened at 9 a.m., guests were able to see Swazi and the newborn in person. The mother and calf can also be seen daily at the Park’s elephant habitat or via Elephant Cam on the Park’s web site or Safari Park iPhone app.
The Safari Park is now home to 13 elephants – 4 adults and 9 youngsters. The adults were rescued in 2003 from the Kingdom of Swaziland, where they faced being culled. A lack of space and long periods of drought created unsuitable habitat for a large elephant population in the small southern African country. At the San Diego Zoo and the San Diego Zoo Safari Park, elephant studies are underway on nutrition, daily walking distance, growth and development and bioacoustic communication. Since 2004, San Diego Zoo Global has contributed $30,000 yearly to Swaziland’s Big Game Parks to fund programs like anti-poaching patrols, improve infrastructure and purchase additional acreage for the Big Game Parks.Photo taken on Aug. 28, 2012, by Ken Bohn, San Diego Zoo Safari Park.
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