TOLEDO, Ohio — Editor's note: The attached video is from a story regarding Lucas, a Toledo Zoo elephant that died in 2021.
The Toledo Zoo announced the pregnancy of Renee, a 43-year-old African Elephant, in late 2022.
On Tuesday, the zoo released an ultrasound photo of the calf, who is due in spring 2024. According to the Toledo Zoo, the ultrasound was routine and shows a head, eye, ear and trunk with a foot in front of it.
Renee is about halfway through her pregnancy, a nearly two-year gestation period that makes African elephants famous for the longest average pregnancy of any mammal on the planet.
The pregnancy is the animal's third in the last 20 years: fan-favorite Louie, who has since been relocated to a zoo in Omaha, was born in 2003; Lucas, who was born in 2011, died from a rare viral infection in 2021.
Zoo officials said the announcement marks an important, continued step in elephant conservation.
"We are thrilled about Renee’s pregnancy. Preserving the future of this species is critical to us, and we are committed to doing so,” Michael Frushour, curator of mammals at the Toledo Zoo said.
The International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) lists African elephants as "critically endangered," meaning the species faces a high risk of extinction in the wild. In 2016, the IUCN estimated only 415,000 elephants remain in the wild. In 1987, it was estimated that the African elephant population had declined to 760,000 individuals; prior to 1900, scientists estimate there may have been 20 million elephants on the African continent at once.
Elephants are frequently at risk of poaching for their ivory tusks; in combination with illegal hunting, urbanization and habitat loss also factor into elephant population decline, giving zookeepers and scientists more reasons to grow the population where they can.
In a press release, Frushour explained that Renee was impregnated through a "planned and sophisticated artificial insemination process" that required months of coordination and a team of elephant experts from around the world. Louie and Lucas were also conceived via artificial insemination.
Zookeepers and veterinarians said they continue to provide expert care during her pregnancy.
“Along with the expert, first-class attention and healthcare Renee already receives, our staff is also providing specialized prenatal care to safeguard the health of Renee and her calf throughout this long gestation period,” Frushour said.
An African elephant pregnancy lasts about 23 months and a newborn elephant calf can weigh between 250-350 lbs. Zoo officials said they do not yet know the sex of the calf.
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