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Indianapolis Zoo's elephant calf gets a name

The name was picked as part of a contest that got more than 8,000 votes worldwide.

INDIANAPOLIS — The newest member of the Indianapolis Zoo's elephant family has a name!

The zoo announced the male calf will be named "Jabari" after a contest that gathered more than 8,000 votes from around the world. 

"Jabari" is a name that means "fearless" or "brave" in Swahili, which the zoo said was a "good description for our curious calf."

The calf was born to Zahara over Labor Day weekend, weighing 262 pounds. Jabari's birth was historic, becoming the first in the world where the baby was born through artificial insemination to a mother who was also born through the same procedure. In fact, the first and second African elephants in the world to be conceived and born through artificial insemination were at the Indianapolis Zoo in 2000. 

Jabari went outside with his mother for the first time on Sept. 26 as he continues to get used to the larger areas of the zoo's elephant yards. 

Baby Elephant First Day Out

#cutenessoverload! Today was the baby elephant’s first day outside! ❤️ He was very excited and curious of his new surroundings but stayed very close to mom Zahara. Our elephant care team says the calf will go outside at different times of the day to become more accustomed to being outside. So, guests may catch a glimpse of him and his mom exploring the elephant yards from time-to-time. Once he gets used to the large areas and is introduced to the other members of the herd, he will be outside for longer durations. We also want to remind guests to stay tuned for next week, where we will have an update on how you can help with naming our little elephant calf! 🐘 #cute #adorable #elephant #babyanimals #indyzoo #zoolife #firstday #motherandson #son #mother

Posted by Indianapolis Zoo on Tuesday, September 26, 2023

The zoo is currently hosting ZooBoo, its annual Halloween celebration, each Wednesday through Sunday, starting at 2 p.m. 

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