It’s the birth announcement the Portland, Oregon area was waiting for: Portland Zoo elephant Rose-Tu gave birth to a 286 pound male on August 23rd after thirty-one hours of labor.
The Portland Zoo posted updates on Rose-Tu as she went through labor, starting early in the day on Friday the 22nd. When labor officially began, volunteers started monitoring mama on video monitors. They kept an eye on things (and kept updating the Portland Zoo website) throughout the day and night — keepers, vets, volunteers, and media folks all kept the vigil.
Rose-Tu’s water broke around 11:30am on Saturday the 23rd. She showed signs of restlessness and discomfort all morning and into the early afternoon. By 3 o’clock, keepers and veterinarians decided that the labor had been going on for too long. They gave her an injection to induce labor. It took about twenty minutes for the shot to take effect; then Rose-Tu started pushing.
Once the baby emerged, things took a dramatic turn. Rose-Tu began kicking and pushing at the newborn, forcing keepers to intervene and remove the baby boy. Fortunately, there were no broken bones or internal injuries. By Saturday evening, the baby elephant was standing on his own and responding to offers of food. Mother and baby were kept apart that first night.
On Sunday, keepers gave mom Rose-Tu and baby boy a chance to reconnect — they were allowed to see each other and touch trunks. Rose-Tu answered when the baby called, but keepers weren’t 100% ready to trust her. They wanted her to rest a bit more (and baby to be a bit stronger) before the two were reunited.
As the weekend turned into the work week, Rose-Tu and her calf were allowed more chances to interact under keeper supervision. By Monday afternoon, Rose-Tu was allowing the baby to nurse — a very good sign! It looks like momma elephant and baby will be okay from here on out.
They haven’t named the baby boy yet… would it be awful of me to suggest Tu-Tu?