Chicago - It took less than 10 minutes for Kubwa the elephant to deliver her 90kg baby boy.
"Mercy! We should all be so lucky," said Indianapolis Zoo spokesperson Judith Gagen, who explained that many elephants take days to deliver their massive offspring.
But what is truly historic about Tuesday's birth is how the baby was conceived. Just five years after Kubwa became the first African elephant to successfully deliver a calf conceived through artificial insemination, the proud mama did it again. She is now the first elephant to have delivered two calves conceived artificially.
Even though the baby was born about a month ahead of schedule, initial examinations showed him to be in good health. He passed his first milestone - nursing from his mother - just two hours after his 8.30pm birth. Zoo staff are hopeful that the colostrum he received from his mother will protect him from infection.
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'He's just adorable' "He's just adorable," Gagen said. "There's nothing like a baby elephant."
The calf also appears to be quite smart, Gagen said, explaining that he quickly learned to stand on a stepstool to reach his unusually tall mother's udders.
"So far, he's very active, very straightforward and doesn't seem to be afraid of anything," she said. "He's very curious."
Kubwa has already formed a strong bond with the baby, Gagen said, and has proven herself to be an excellent mother.
The 29-year-old elephant doted on her first calf, Amali, who died two years ago of an infection.
'He's very active' "That was just the saddest day we had at the zoo, because she was just the sweetest calf, so we all wanted Kubwa to have another," Gagen said.
The zoo has not yet announced how the calf will be named but said he will not have to wait too long for a playmate: another elephant at the zoo is due to deliver her second calf in September 2006. - Sapa-AFP
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