INDIANAPOLIS — The Indianapolis Zoo's baby elephant spent his first day outside Tuesday.
The zoo said he was very excited and curious about his new surroundings but stayed close to mom.
We're told the baby will go outside at different times of day to get used to things, so you may catch a glimpse of him when you visit.
New mother Zahara went into labor over the Labor Day weekend and delivered after just 20 minutes.
It was a historic birth, 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.
“Zahara’s mother, Ivory, is known for her short labor times, and this baby came quickly as well,” said Niki Kowalski, assistant curator of elephants. "Zahara is a first-time mom, but she's doing an excellent job. She's taking great care of the baby. She's very interested, very attentive to him. He's nursing well. Those are some of the first milestones we look for."
The calf was a healthy birthweight, tipping the scales at 262 pounds. He was standing within 10 minutes, and he and mom are doing well.
“We are especially excited as this calf will begin a third generation in the herd at the zoo,” said Robert Shumaker, Indianapolis Zoo president and CEO.
Before the birth, Zahara was the zoo's youngest elephant at 17 years old. Her calf is the seventh for the zoo.
The zoo posted on social media that the public will soon get the chance to help name the baby.