Indian elephant Ryuka has first baby in Okinawa

Indian elephant Ryuka has first baby in Okinawa

The first baby elephant born in Okinawa, on the evening of March 4, at the Okinawa Zoo and Museum. (Provided by the Okinawa Zoo and Museum).


March 6, 2015 Ryukyu Shimpo

On the evening of March 4, 14-year-old Indian elephant Ryuka gave birth to a baby girl weighing 100 kilograms at the Okinawa Zoo and Museum. This is the first elephant born in Okinawa and the 10th in Japan.

Ryuka started having contractions at 7:00 p.m. on March 4, and gave birth to a baby at 9:40 p.m. The baby elephant is 85 centimeters in height, 96 centimeters in length, and weighs about 100 kilograms. At 5:10 a.m. on March 5, the baby was feeding on her mother.

Both the mother and baby are doing well. The baby will make it’s first public appearance early April, if all goes well.

According to the zoo, it is the first time a Japanese zoo has successfully raised an elephant to childbearing age and collected data on the processes of mating,
pregnancy, and birth, including hormone balance.

(English translation by T&CT, Hitomi Shinzato)

Go to Japanese


　


Previous Article:
Next Article:

[Similar Articles]