Daizy the elephant was born on Sept. 2, 2009 at the ABQ BioPark Zoo.
The Zoo joyfully welcomed a female Asian elephant calf named Daizy at 1:43 a.m. on Wednesday, Sept. 2, 2009. The newborn tipped the scales at a whopping 318 pounds! This calf is the second elephant born at the Zoo; her mother Rozie was the first.
A New Mother
First-time mother Rozie is doing a great job with some help from her own mother Alice and the herd's matriarch Irene.
Rozana was born at the ABQ BioPark Zoo on November 8, 1992. Her mother, Alice, and father, Ranchipur of the San Diego Zoo, have no other living offspring.
Elephant Fathers
The calf is the result of artificial insemination with sperm from three donors. The father is Albert, one of the bull elephants at the Zoo.
In the wild, male elephants are not part of the matriarchal herd after they reach maturity. They live in bachelor herds or on their own. They interact with females only to mate.
Hope for Asian Elephants
Rozie's pregnancy was recommended by the Association of Zoos and Aquariums' Species Survival Plan for Asian elephants. Because Rozie has no siblings, she is genetically unique. Her calves adds to the diversity and strength of the North American population of Asian elephants.
The ABQ BioPark is an accredited member of AZA and a designated Elephant Breeding Facility. The AZA strives to maintain a self-sustaining population of the endangered elephants in North America.
The ABQ BioPark is committed to supporting elephant conservation both at home and abroad, and we strive to
- Provide excellent care for the BioPark's elephants
- Connect BioPark visitors to our natural world
- Educate visitors about threats to wild elephants
- Promote conservation through special events and activities
- Support elephant conservation efforts around the world
Each year, the ABQ BioPark provides thousands of dollars from privately-raised revenue to support field projects in Asia and Africa through the International Elephant Foundation.
