His mom, at a mere 7,490 pounds, is described as "petite." But zookeepers say Maryland's newest African elephant - 290 pounds and 42 inches tall - is a whopper.
No matter how one measures him, the baby African elephant born Wednesday night at the Maryland Zoo in Baltimore is the first ever at the 132-year-old institution, and it may be the first pachyderm delivered here since the last woolly mammoth gave birth during the last Ice Age, 12,000 years ago.
If he remains healthy, he seems sure to be a local celebrity for years to come.
"I can't tell you how important we think this is to the zoo community," said Donald Hutchinson, the zoo's interim president and CEO. "We're excited about attendance this year, even without the baby elephant."
A new giraffe feeding area will open soon, along with a reconstructed African aviary, and entrance prices have been reduced. But "there's no question that having a baby elephant will help," Hutchinson said.
Unlike polar bears and giraffes, he noted, "a baby elephant is a baby for a long time. He'll stay close by his mother for three, four, five years. That's really exciting. We think people will come over and over again."
Felix, one of four African elephants at the zoo, gave birth at 9:07 p.m. Wednesday after a 22-month pregnancy. The infant was on his feet in less than 30 minutes, and nursing within hours. He immediately impressed the staff and veterinarians who were privileged to watch.
"He is a very tall ... very classic-looking elephant calf, a very good-looking animal," said Mike McClure, the zoo's general curator and elephant manager.
Zookeepers said that mother and infant were doing well yesterday but that both would stay in the elephant barn and off-exhibit until the weather is better and keepers and veterinarians are confident the two are bonding well.
"We do not want to take any risks with the baby we don't have to," McClure said.
About a third of baby Asian elephants born in captivity die in their first year of life, but African elephants are thought to do better.
The successful birth - one of a handful of elephant deliveries each year in the United States - was an important milestone for the zoo staff. Hutchinson called it "a terrific morale booster" and "an opportunity to say to the community that the third-oldest zoo in the U.S. is still a very vital institution ... and a great attraction to people."
