UPDATE 1:59 p.m.
It’s been a year since Omaha’s Henry Doorly Zoo and Aquarium welcomed two elephant calves and on Friday the zoo provided updates on the now one-year-old elephants. It also provided the latest news on the expecting mothers of the elephant herd.
On Jan. 16, 2022, the first calf, Eugenia, was born to mother, KiKi, and father, Callee. Her first weight on January 16, 2022, was 181 pounds and she now weighs 719 pounds. On Jan. 30, 2022, the second calf, Sonny, was born to mother, Claire, and father, Callee. His first weight on Feb. 4, 2022, was 202 pounds and his current weight is 802 pounds.
“We’re really happy to say that at their one-year birthday, they did get an examination this last week, and they look extremely healthy, and everything is going as planned from a veterinarian perspective,” said Senior Veterinarian Dr. Taylor Yaw.
Shortly after these calves were born, the zoo announced two additional pregnancies for the elephant herd. Lolly is expecting her first calf in the second half of February. Jayei, the elephant herd matriarch, is expecting her second calf late this summer. Both elephants are healthy and continue to thrive alongside the calves and the rest of the herd.
“Not only have the calves been learning and growing but our other elephants in the herd, our younger females have been learning and growing through all of this, and learning how to be moms, which is great because as mentioned there are more babies on the way,’ said Elephant Manager Sarah Armstrong.
Omaha’s Henry Doorly Zoo and Aquarium invites the public to join them in celebrating Eugenia’s and Sonny’s first birthdays. The public birthday party for both one-year-old African elephant calves will be Saturday, January 21, at 10:30 a.m. in the Elephant Family Quarters.
In celebration, there will be special birthday enrichment for the elephants, cupcakes for the public, and a photo opportunity with life-size cutouts of Eugenia and Sonny. Visitors are encouraged to snap an “elphie” and share their birthday greetings using the hashtag #OmahaZooBirthdays. There is no charge to join the celebration with paid zoo admission or membership.
“It’s a celebration beyond just their birthdays, it’s a celebration of the success of our program that is exemplified by the birth of these two beautiful babies and how they’re thriving and it’s a celebration of the complexity of elephant family social structures and everything that they do together,” said President and CEO of Omaha’s Henry Doorly Zoo and Aquarium, Dr. Luis Padilla.
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