POWELL, Ohio (AP) — The Columbus Zoo and Aquarium is marking World Elephant Day with the exciting news that Phoebe, a 31-year-old Asian elephant, is pregnant.
This will be Phoebe’s fourth calf and her third born at the Columbus Zoo, where she has resided since 2002.
Zoo officials revealed on Saturday that Phoebe is currently in her third trimester, with an expected delivery date in December. Asian elephants have a lengthy gestation period of approximately 22 months.
The identity of the calf’s father remains uncertain and will be determined through DNA testing once the baby is born.
Phoebe was inseminated using sperm from Hank, a partner elephant at the Columbus Zoo, and sperm from another zoo’s elephant. Hank has also directly bred with Phoebe.
Phoebe previously welcomed two calves in 2004 and 2009, the only Asian elephants born at the Columbus Zoo.
This upcoming birth is a significant addition to the zoo’s elephant family and a celebratory highlight for World Elephant Day.