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In this Monday, April 6, 2020, photo provided by the Reid Park Zoo a newborn elephant stands with her mother Semba, in their enclosure at the Reid Park Zoo in Tucson, Ariz. Officials at the zoo are celebrating the birth of the baby elephant. Zoo officials say the baby was born Monday to Semba, a 30-year-old African elephant, and that it weighed nearly 300 pounds (131 kilograms) after 22 months of gestation. Officials described the baby elephant as "healthy, standing and nursing." (Jed Dodds/Reid Park Zoo via AP)

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In this Monday, April 6, 2020, photo provided by the Reid Park Zoo a newborn elephant stands with her mother Semba, in their enclosure at the Reid Park Zoo in Tucson, Ariz. Officials at the zoo are celebrating the birth of the baby elephant. Zoo officials say the baby was born Monday to Semba, a 30-year-old African elephant, and that it weighed nearly 300 pounds (131 kilograms) after 22 months of gestation. Officials described the baby elephant as "healthy, standing and nursing." (Jed Dodds/Reid Park Zoo via AP)

Healthy baby elephant born at Reid Park Zoo in Tucson

By Associated Press AP

PUBLISHED 12:32 PM ET Apr. 09, 2020

TUCSON, Ariz. (AP) — Officials at Reid Park Zoo in Tucson are celebrating the birth of a baby elephant.

Zoo officials say the baby was born Monday to Semba, a 30-year-old African elephant, and that it weighed nearly 300 pounds (131 kilograms) after 22 months of gestation.

Officials described the baby elephant as “healthy, standing and nursing.”

The baby wasn't given a name immediately.

Semba has given birth before but zoo officials said during her pregnancy that she was being closely monitored through physical exams, blood work and ultrasounds.

Dr. Sue Tygielski, the zoo's director of zoological oerations, said Semba's labor went smoothly and that there were no complications.

.The new calf expands the zoo’s elephant herd to six, including the baby’s parents, two older siblings and an adult female.

The zoo is currently closed due to the coronavirus pandemic.

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