Jade Meets Her Fans
The Saint Louis Zoo's baby Asian elephant, Jade, is now making frequent public appearances (weather permitting) at River's Edge with her keepers.
Right now Jade's public appearances are not on a regularly scheduled basis. Her daily schedule is busy - from getting several bottles of formula a day from the elephant care staff, to socialization with Ellie and Jade's ten-month-old half sister Maliha. She is also socializing with all of the other elephants in the herd, including Rani and Raja, her mother and father.
Caring for Jade
The Saint Louis Zoo elephant care team continues to provide round-the-clock care for Jade, born February 25, 2007 to first-time mother, Rani. Jade weighs about 825 pounds and is doing very well. Her caregivers note that she is a delightful (not-so-little) little girl.
Rani, like many first-time mothers, found motherhood to be challenging at times. "Most of the time Rani was very nurturing and curious about her new calf," says Martha Fischer, curator of ungulates and elephants, "but occasionally she would let us and the calf know that she had had enough, and didn't want to be near her."
Given Rani's inconsistent mothering, the Zoo decided to give her a break and take over rearing the calf for now. Fortunately, Jade is very sociable with her caregivers and will readily take supplemental bottles from them. She is also eating hay and other solid foods.
Jade nursed from her grandmother Ellie, who is also nursing Maliha, for about 6 months. Since Maliha was starting to eat solid foods, she needed less of her mother's milk. "We were not expecting that Ellie would adopt Jade, but it is good for her to have elephant milk," says Fischer.
It's not at all unusual for first-time mothers of many species to show their inexperience, notes Fischer. "Rani may not be a perfect mother right now, but with a little help from her keepers she has done a pretty good job of giving little Jade a good start in life. We feel sure Jade will thrive in a rich social environment surrounded by elephants and people who love her."
Jade was born a healthy and strong calf weighing 236 pounds and standing about 34-1/2 inches tall. She received a "well baby check" from Zoo veterinarians within an hour after her birth.
She now weighs 825 pounds.
Her Name is Jade
What's in a name? A lot, according to the 13,422 votes that streamed in to the Saint Louis Zoo for the baby Asian elephant naming contest. On March 7, zookeepers revealed the winning name in the center of the elephant yard with the baby's father, Raja, looking on.
The Zoo's elephant care staff selected three favorite female names - Emmy, Hana and Jade - and invited the public to vote for their favorite in a naming contest that ran from February 26 through March 5.
Jade won by a hair with 5,354 votes cast online, and through postcards and letters sent directly to the Zoo. Runner-up, Emmy, received 5,004 votes and Hana lagged behind with 3,019 votes. Several creative fans sent in their own ideas, but failed to gather enough support to overturn the chosen three.
Karen Fletcher from St. Louis, Missouri is our contest winner. Thank you to everyone who participated in the contest and for helping pick out a gem of a name!
It's All About Family
This is Rani's first baby and the second for Raja, the baby's father. Raja was the first elephant ever born at the Saint Louis Zoo. Now he's started a new family, with daughter Maliha, born on August 2, 2006, and Rani's newborn daughter.
The River's Edge staff has been busy preparing for this particular baby, and for her sister Maliha born last August, for the past three years.
An Asian elephant's gestation period typically lasts 612-699 days. Rani's gestation lasted 670 days. For two months, Zoo staff was on a 24-hour pregnancy watch. They also monitored her progress with an ultrasound exam and tracked her progesterone every day. When Rani's progesterone dropped on February 23, the staff knew she would deliver within 1-13 days.
A Global Effort
The Saint Louis Zoo is actively involved with the Association of Zoos and Aquariums' Species Survival Plan for Asian elephants. The birth of this new elephant is important to the conservation work with other North American zoos. AZA-accredited zoos manage the breeding of Asian elephants to maintain healthy, self-sustaining populations that are genetically diverse and demographically stable.
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