Belly the elephant! Pachyderm Shanti, pregnant at the Houston Zoo, awaits Mother’s Day in the United States

The staff at the Houston Zoo are very excited this Mother’s Day in the United States because their Asian elephant Shanti is a mother-to-be! The pregnant pachyderm, aged 33, is due to give birth in late 2024 and was actually pregnant for some time before showing, as the average gestation for an elephant is around 659 days or 22 months. The father is a 58-year-old Asian elephant from Thailand. The sex of the calf will remain a surprise to everyone because ultrasounds cannot determine the sex. Shanti is an experienced mother and very attentive to her calves since she monitors them closely. Zoo visitors are already admiring Shanti with her two youngest, Nelson (4 years) and Joy (6 years), in the elephant habitat. By monitoring Shanti’s hormone levels, the zoo’s veterinary team is optimistic that the pregnancy is progressing. When she’s ready, Shanti will give birth in the cow barn at the zoo’s McNair Asian Elephant Habitat, under the supervision of her keepers and veterinary team. Once the calf is born, Shanti and her newborn will undergo postnatal checkups and bond as mother and child before joining the rest of the herd.