The Sedgwick County Zoo’s two new elephant calves have begun acclimating to their habitat and life at the zoo.
The elephants, Kijani and Bomani, joined the zoo's herd earlier this month, following a stillborn birth of another elephant calf. Two more elephants are expected later this year, around May and September.
“This is not a typical thing that happens at a lot of zoos, and for us to not only have one successful birth, but then a second, and then potentially two more — it's just a huge thing for the citizens of Wichita, citizens of Sedgwick County, people in the state of Kansas,” said Scott Newland, president and CEO of the zoo.
While Newland said the elephant births were pretty typical, they’re quite different from human births.
“That baby looks really tiny next to mom, but they could be 200 to 250 pounds at birth,” Newland said. “And they have a pretty rude awakening (at the) start of life, coming out of mom. That first drop to the ground looks pretty rough to us, but it's actually a very natural thing and part of what stimulates them to stand up and start moving.”
Kijani and Bomani began walking within 30 minutes of their births.
Newland encouraged the community to see the elephants while they’re young. African elephants can grow to between 5,000 and 14,000 pounds.
“These elephants will be with us for a long time, but they're only this little for a short amount of time,” Newland said. “So, we definitely want people to come out and experience them when they're kind of in their toddler mode.”
Newland advised visitors to be cautious of weather conditions when setting up visits, as the elephants might not be out.
“Everything is very much weather dependent,” Newland said. “So, if it is a rainy day or following a rainy day, you might want to give the zoo a call to see what the latest update is.”
More information is on the zoo’s website.
