Walt Disney World has a brand new adorable inhabitant and attraction as the giant theme park announced the birth of a 218-pound baby elephant at Disney’s Animal Kingdom in Orland, Florida. This marks the first second-generation African elephant to be born into the zoo, with this being the first elephant born in seven years at the wildly popular theme park.
The baby elephant, called a calf, is named Corra and has already made rounds on social media, where fans of Dinsey’s Animal Kingdom long for the day to meet the park’s newest cast member. Scott Terrell, DVM, DACVP, director of Animal & Science Operations, Walt Disney Parks & Resorts, spoke about the excitement surrounding young Corra’s birth in the Disney Parks Blog.
Terrell explained the extra sentiment behind this birth, saying that the staff at the park is proud to see Monther Nadirah, who was also born in captivity, give birth to aon second-generati elephant of her own. This breeding suggests a high level of health and comfort for the animals, which is a good sign of things to come for the rest of the elephant population in the park.
Terrell wrote, “This is Nadirah’s first calf, making this birth extra special because Nadirah herself was born at Disney’s Animal Kingdom in 2005, making her the first second-generation calf. Since this is Nadirah’s first birth, her sister Luna was there to guide and comfort her throughout the process. The calf will soon get to meet her grandma, Donna, and her other aunt, Stella, too.”
This long legacy of African elephants that Disney is putting together makes for an awesome story as visitors come to check out the massive animals that are always an amazing draw of attention in zoos. With such a breathtaking animal now being seen with such a massive portion of its biological family, visitors are allowed to see a more intimate glimpse into the animals’ world.
Terrell continued explaining that Nadirah became pregnant through natural breeding in the zoo with one of the male elephants in the enclosure. While elephants are animals, just like humans, Nadirah’s pregnancy was a 22-month-long endeavor that staff and doctors helped guide her through in the most comfortable way possible.
Now, with the birth of baby Corra, that hard work and diligent attention have paid off in the way of a new member of the family. Corra will also be under the watchful eye of those same zookeepers and professional staff to ensure that the baby can have a nice and healthy upbringing in the zoo.
A TikTok video shared by Disney Parks has already received over 100,000 likes on the social media platform as it unveiled the newest elephant on the property. The future is bright for young Corra, who will be growing up with some of the best medicine in the known elephant world and with a professional staff that will keep an eye on her day and night until she has reached maturation. Be on the lookout for young Corra if you ever find yourself in Disney’s Animal Kingdom.
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