It’s a boy | Meet the newest Asian elephant calf at the Fort Worth Zoo

FORT WORTH, Texas — It’s a boy! The Fort Worth Zoo is celebrating the birth of an Asian elephant calf.

The healthy 37-inch-tall, 270-pound baby boy was born at 2 a.m. on Thursday, Feb. 23, officials said. His name hasn’t been released to the public yet.  

Officials said this is the fifth calf born at the Fort Worth Zoo, which follows the birth of his half-brother Brazos in 2021, his mother Belle in 2013, Bowie in 2013 (who now resides at Oklahoma City Zoo), and his aunt Bluebonnet in 1998.

So, the new baby calf adds to the three generations of elephants at the zoo – mimicking how herds are established in the wild, Fort Worth Zoo said.

This was the first birth for the calf’s mother, Belle, who is now 9.5 years old. She was carefully monitored with weekly blood tests, physical examinations and sonograms. The calf’s father, Romeo, is 30 years old and has lived at the zoo since 2015, officials said.

Both the new little bundle of joy and his mother are doing well. The zoo said they are bonding behind-the-scenes of the elephant habitat, Elephant Springs.

“The initial bonding between an elephant calf, its mother, and family unit is vital to a successful rearing,” Fort Worth Zoo said in a news release.

The animal care team will determine when the public gets to meet him. Until then, the zoo said keep an eye out on their social media pages for updates.

“It is our hope that in Elephant Springs guests can connect with these creatures and be motivated to learn more about them and how to save their counterparts in the wild,” said the Fort Worth Zoo.

Elephant Springs opened in April 2021 as the second phase of Fort Worth Zoo’s master plan. The third phase, which will feature big cat species, is currently under construction and set to open this year.

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