Elephant conceived in Swaziland is born at the Dallas Zoo

The Dallas Zoo has welcomed a big new arrival: a male African elephant calf born May 14, one of the elephants rescued from drought-stricken Swaziland this spring.

The calf stands about 3 feet tall, and his tiny trunk is just over a foot long. His ears are light pink, contrasting with his darker gray body. He weighs 175 pounds, which is on the low end of the 150- to 300-pound range for newborn African elephants. A low birth weight isn’t surprising, given the difficult conditions in Swaziland during his 22-month gestation and trip to Dallas.

The calf, who isn’t yet named, is active and exploring the barn, although he doesn’t get too far from mom. He’s nursing and vocalizing as expected.

“This birth validates the critical importance of our rescue efforts and why we worked so hard to get these animals to safety as quickly as possible,” said Gregg Hudson, president and CEO of the Dallas Zoo.

Zoo officials do not know yet when the public will be able to see the new arrival but it could be a few months.