Dallas Zoo welcomes a new baby elephant to the family

By Matthew Ablon

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    TEXAS (KTVT) — There’s a new member of the Dallas Zoo family, and staff members introduced him to the world on Monday.

In a video shared to its social media pages, the zoo said a new African elephant was born to mother Mlilo on Sunday, July 26, around 12:25 p.m. The baby boy weighed 230 pounds at birth and was standing and nursing within his first hour of life. The Dallas Zoo said the baby’s big brother, Okubili, was there to welcome him to the herd, along with fellow elephants Jenny and Gypsy. All three elephants gently reached out to the baby with their trunks as he took his first steps.

The Dallas Zoo said Mlilo was pregnant for 21 months and has “been doing an incredible job caring for her calf.” The mother and baby are spending the early days together behind the scenes to build their bond.

Zoo staff said they are working on the baby’s name and plan to share more about his habitat debut once the time is right. The zoo also encouraged patrons to support and celebrate with a limited-time Adopt-An-Animal package.

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