Elephant Birth

Below is a video of an elephant being born-unbelievable and unforgettable footage. When I was in school, our main Vet for the animals we worked with, as well as teacher for all of our veterinary classes, was Dr. Peddie. He has worked with many different kinds of exotics and has traveled all over the world to do so. He was involved with a company in California called Have Trunk Will Travel and the birth of their elephants. Elephant births are not a normal every day occurrence for zoos and other facilities. The gestiation period for an elephant is 22 months, the longest of any land animal. TWENTY TWO MONTHS. And we complain about nine months! Can you imagine? A calf can weight up to 250 lbs. and stand over 2 1/2 feet tall when they are born. Elephants generally live for 50-70 years, but the oldest elephant recorded was 82 years.

In the wild, healthy adult elephants have no major predators. They are more threatened by human intrusion and poaching for their ivory. Even though they are a protected species, their numbers continue to decline.

I have watched another video of birth of an elephant and it was much more dramatic than the one below. Way more dramatic! It was a first time mom and she was hobbled, one leg tied down in case they had to get in there and help the baby. From what I was told when I was in school is that first time mom's want to kill the baby immediately after it is born. It's unfamiliar and new and until the hormones from lactating start to kick in, she will kill it. Supposedly, the aunts and other elephants in a group will stand around the baby and protect it until she calms down and can nurse it. After researching it a little, I found a story about a first time mother that tried to trample her baby after it was born at the Oregon Zoo. There is a short video on that link that is pretty interesting as well. So there must be some truth to it. Either way, when I was in school I saw the footage with my own eyes and they barely got that baby out of that pen quick enough. She was flinging the placenta at those that took her baby and had a look in her eyes that the keepers said meant business and they had never seen before. She did calm down and they reintroduced the baby to her within a short period of time and everything went well.

In this video, I don't know if they turned the sound down when she was having the birth but by the way the man was whispering when he narrated it, I think he was in the room with her. She is so calm. You have to watch the entire video to the end. It will bring tears to your eyes. It is something you will never forget, I guarantee you.