Sedgwick County Zoo Announces Stillborn Delivery of Elephant Calf

Summary:

WICHITA, KS – The Sedgwick County Zoo just announced that 29-year-old African elephant Simunye delivered a stillborn calf following a healthy, full-term pregnancy. This would have marked the first elephant born at Sedgwick County Zoo in its 54-year history.

The journey of Simunye’s 22-month pregnancy ended sadly despite care provided by the elephant care and veterinary teams. Regular prenatal exams and behavioral observations indicated that both mom and calf were healthy with no sign of complications throughout the entire gestational term.

Simunye began showing signs of active labor early Thursday morning while the care team watched remotely to allow for the most natural birthing environment. She delivered her calf Friday afternoon and despite her best attempts to assist, the calf showed no signs of movement.

A necropsy determined that the calf died during the birthing process.

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