Rani the elephant gives birth to male calf at Saint Louis Zoo

The baby, who has yet to be named, and his mother are bonding out of public view.

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The Saint Louis Zoo welcomed a new baby. Rani the Asian elephant gave birth to a male calf—only the second male elephant ever to be born at the zoo—on Monday afternoon. The baby's father is Raja, the first Asian elephant ever to be born at the zoo, in 1992. The baby, who has yet to be named, and his mother are bonding out of public view. The zoo has not set a date for his public debut. 

According to the Saint Louis Zoo, there are fewer than 35,000 Asian elephants in the wild. That's because poachers hunt the animals for their ivory, and their habitats are being destroyed. The Saint Louis Zoo WildCare Institute Center for Asian Elephant Conservation contributes to the conservation of the animals in Sumatra and other Asian countries through the International Elephant Foundation.

Rani and the new baby are members of a three-generation elephant family who live at the zoo's River’s Edge and Elephant Woods habitats. One of those elephants is Ellie, Rani's mother. Rani and her mother were brought to the zoo in 2001 from the Jacksonville Zoo.

A typical elephant pregnancy lasts around 22 months and a calf normally weighs 250-350 pounds at birth. 

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