2025: The year for Sedgwick County Zoo baby elephants
Jan 01, 2025
WICHITA, Kan. (KSNW) -- The Sedgwick County Zoo says its five pregnant African elephants are doing wonderfully. The elephants are due to give birth between early spring and fall.
On Tuesday, the zoo provided an "Elephant Bumpdate" on social media. It said the expectant moms get regular ultrasounds as part of their specialized care and training.
The elephant that is due first is Simunye. She has already received booster tetanus and rabies shots "to ensure she’s healthy and ready for her little one’s arrival in the spring."
Talia is one of the pregnant African elephants at the Sedgwick County Zoo. (Courtesy Sedgwick County Zoo)
Simunye is the only expectant elephant who has given birth before. Talia, Xolani, Arusi, and Zuberi are all pregnant with their first offspring.
"These amazing mamas-to-be are making great progress, and we couldn’t be more thrilled to welcome our first calf in 2025!" the zoo said.
African elephants are pregnant for 22 months.
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“If all five pregnancies are successful, not only will they be the first elephants ever born in Kansas, but we would be the first zoo to have five African elephant births in a single year,” Scott Newland, the zoo’s president and CEO, previously said.
In October, the zoo launched the “Our Growing Herd” capital campaign to raise $10 million. The goal is to expand the boma to provide more bonding space and allow additional options to keep the herd comfortable as it grows. There would also be ample room to roam, play, and socialize, especially during winter when temperatures are too cold for the calves.
To learn more about how you can support “Our Growing Herd,” please visit SCZ.org/elephants.