First ever baby elephant born in Kodomo-no Kuni Zoo

14-year-old Indian elephant Ryuka at Okinawa Zoo gave a birth to a female baby elephant in the afternoon of Mar. 4th. The baby weighs about 100 kg, and is 96 cm long from the edge of its nose to the tail and stands 85 cm tall, which, according to Okinawa Zoo officials, is pretty average for a baby elephant body shape. According to the zoo, both the mother and baby are doing well.

This is the first elephant to have a baby on Okinawa, and it’s the 10th such case in the country. In addition, this is the first time in Japan that the progress has been closely documented from the mating behavior through pregnancy and delivery.

If the baby grows well as expected, the zoo is planning to show the baby to the public in early April, and at the same time, planning to ask the public to come up with suggestions for a name for the baby.

08:40 04 Dec , 2024