Rescued elephant gives birth to baby at Dallas Zoo

DALLAS - The Dallas Zoo has a new arrival – a baby African elephant.

The male calf was born on May 14 to Mlilo, one of several elephants rescued from Swaziland this spring because of severe drought.

He only weighed about 175 pound at birth. The zoo said that’s low, but not surprising because of the difficult conditions his mother was living in.

“This birth validates the critical importance of our rescue efforts and why we worked so hard to get these animals to safety as quickly as possible,” said Gregg Hudson, president and CEO of the Dallas Zoo.

When Mlilo arrived at the zoo she was showing some signs of a pregnancy, but the tests were all inconclusive. Her caretakers gave her special attention just in case, the zoo said.

"I shudder to think what would have happened to Mlilo and her calf without the last six months of food and water we provided while they were in Swaziland, as well as the excellent care and nutrition they received upon their arrival,” Hudson said.

The zoo said the little calf is doing well. He’s been actively exploring his barn, nursing and vocalizing as expected.

He doesn’t have a name yet and is not yet on public display. That will all come in time.

The zoo hopes he and his mother and four other Swaziland elephants will be able to join the four other elephants – Jenny, Gypsy, Congo and Kamba – in the Giants of the Savanna habitat.