Kansas
Kansas Zoo Announces 5 of Its 6 Female Elephants Are Pregnant and Expecting Calves in 2025
A Kansas zoo is preparing for a massive increase in its elephant population.
The Sedgwick County Zoo in Wichita, Kan., revealed in a Facebook post on April 17 that another one of its six female elephants is pregnant, bringing the zoo’s total of expectant elephant mothers to five, with the first birth expected in 2025.
“Last year, we announced that four of our female elephants are expecting calves in 2025. Today, we are delighted to announce that a fifth female is pregnant!” zoo officials wrote in their post.
In its announcement, the zoo noted that now, with this new elephant pregnancy, all of their female elephants, except for one named Stephanie, who is no longer of reproductive age, are currently pregnant.
Sedgwick County Zoo
The pregnant elephants, identified as Simunye, Talia, Xolani, Arusi, and Zuberi, “will each be experiencing motherhood for the first time,” according to zoo officials. The first due date for the group of pregnant elephants is “early spring 2025.”
The zoo noted that they care for the elephants throughout their entire lives and are especially careful during pregnancy to provide “comprehensive care, including monitoring body condition, hormones, vitamin and mineral intake, and routine bloodwork to ensure optimal health at this crucial time.”
Never miss a story — sign up for PEOPLE’s free daily newsletter to stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer, from celebrity news to compelling human interest stories.
The Sedgwick County Zoo shared that the “pregnancies hold a profound significance for the future of African elephants in North America.”
Sedgwick County Zoo
Per AP News, about 160 elephants reside in North America.
With wild elephant populations across the globe facing various threats, the zoo highlighted how it, along with other institutions affiliated with the Association of Zoos and Aquariums, operates according to a “Species Survival Plan” to ensure “genetic diversity and population sustainability for threatened and endangered species.”