TOLEDO, Ohio — The Toledo Zoo shared a social media post Thursday about the organization's most recent animal birth: a baby elephant.
According to a press release, the calf is a baby boy, weighs 280 pounds, and was conceived via a artificial insemination process.
In late 2022, the zoo announced Renee, the zoo's 43-year-old African elephant, was halfway through her pregnancy. African elephant gestation lasts approximately two years, a whopping 23 months.
The Zoo's social media post made Thursday consists of a date - Feb. 17, 2024 - a heart emoji, and a black-and-white photograph of a large elephant foot beside two much smaller elephant feet.
An official contest to name the calf begins March 1. The winning name will be announced on March 15, followed by the calf’s public debut on March 16. Votes can be submitted HERE.
EARLIER COVERAGE: Toledo Zoo releases ultrasound photo of elephant calf due in spring 2024
Two other elephant calves were born at the Toledo Zoo in the last two decades: fan-favorite Louie, who has since been relocated to a zoo in Omaha, was born in 2003; Lucas, who was born in 2011, died from a rare viral infection in 2021.
MORE TOLEDO ZOO NEWS: Twin tiger cubs born at Toledo Zoo, doing well off-exhibit
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