An elephant calf has been born at the Fresno Chaffee Zoo, which has embarked on an elephant breeding program.

Zoo officials said the African elephant Nolwazi gave birth early Friday and will receive round-the-clock surveillance from staff at the zoo, which has not previously had one of its elephants give birth.

“This is a historic moment for the Zoo,” chief executive Jon Forrest Dohlin said in a statement.

Look who decided to join us for #ElephantWeek pic.twitter.com/XVj0GdtiIJ

— Fresno Chaffee Zoo (@FresnoZoo) August 16, 2024

Breeding Program Faces Criticism

The zoo has embarked on a program to breed elephants in the hope they can be seen by zoogoers in years to come. The move, however, has faced criticism from some animal activists who don’t want to see elephants in zoos due to their complex needs, and as some larger zoos have phased out their elephant programs, opting instead to send the animals to sanctuaries with more space.

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The zoo in Fresno brought in a male elephant in 2022 hoping he’d breed with Nolwazi and her daughter, Amahle. Amahle is also due to give birth in coming weeks, the statement said.

The future of elephants — which have relatively few offspring and a 22-month gestation period — in zoos hinges largely on breeding.