SSP is recommended that she be sent to Dallas. When I was there a week ago, only six gorillas were on exhibit. Hope was not there.
Pittsburgh Zoo & PPG Aquarium Pittsburgh Zoo & PPG Aquarium News 2017
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SSP is recommended that she be sent to Dallas. When I was there a week ago, only six gorillas were on exhibit. Hope was not there.
Oh okay I did count seven when I was there today, so yeah
A new secondary concession stand is being added in Rocky's old exhibit.
Confirmed: Ibo is not pregnant! She is starting to get older and body shape changes.
Confirmed: Hope is no longer at Pittsburgh.
Confirmed: Hope is no longer at Pittsburgh.
Pittsburgh Zoo & PPG Aquarium press release:
A Ton of Big News
(Pittsburgh) (2017)—The Pittsburgh Zoo & PPG Aquarium could trumpet the news, or say we are anticipating a jumbo delivery, but instead we are taking a more direct approach to our announcement: WE ARE EXPECTING A BABY!
One of the Zoo’s Botswana elephants at the International Conservation Center is pregnant. 21-year-old Seeni is expected to deliver mid-summer 2017. Also get an inside view of our new state-of the-art Maternal Care Center.
All three females, Seeni, Sukiri, and Thandi, bred with Jackson, the Zoo’s bull elephant. An ultrasound revealed Seeni was pregnant and blood tests confirmed the pregnancy.
Willie Theison, the Zoo’s Elephant Manager, and his team are approaching Seeni’s pregnancy differently than with the Zoo’s other female elephants. “Seeni is still building a strong relationship with us,” says Theison. “She knows who we are and she responds well to us, but most importantly she needs to be comfortable with us around her, especially when she gives birth. We have been spending more time with her and working with her so she has that level of comfort.”
This is the second pregnancy for Seeni. At 14-years-old, while living at Okavango Delta in Botswana, she delivered her first calf. “Though she handled the birth well, she never bonded with the calf,” says Theison. “We attribute her lack of interest in the calf to being orphaned at an early age and never having a relationship with her mother so she could learn. Now that she is older, we are hoping that she will want to care for her calf, but if she doesn’t, we are ready to step in to help. We will just have to wait and see. I won’t breathe a sigh of relief until I see mom with a healthy baby.”
An elephant’s gestation is up to 22 months, so estimates are that Seeni may give birth in July 2017. Exercise is a priority and keepers are making sure that Seeni is active throughout her pregnancy to build stamina and muscle tone, which helps with the delivery. As with any pregnancy, problems can occur. The calf could be stillborn or become lodged in the birth canal and die, which can be dangerous for the mother as well. Though the mortality rate of newborn elephants in captivity is approximately 30 percent, the Pittsburgh Zoo has had great success with delivering healthy calves.
“Seeni’s pregnancy is exciting news,” says Dr. Barbara Baker, President & CEO of the Pittsburgh Zoo & PPG Aquarium. “The infusion of new genetics is important to secure a future for African elephants in North America.”
“Visitors love to see elephants and they ask about what is happening to elephants in the wild,” says Dr. Baker. “Every day we hear about poaching and human–elephant conflict due to habitat loss. All of these are taking a toll on elephant populations. We have the best opportunity to educate our visitors and to provide them with information on elephant conservation efforts worldwide and how each individual can help.
The Botswana elephants are now residing in their new 34,000 square-foot Maternal Care Center.
Features of the new Maternal Care Center:
A Ton of Big News
(Pittsburgh) (2017)—The Pittsburgh Zoo & PPG Aquarium could trumpet the news, or say we are anticipating a jumbo delivery, but instead we are taking a more direct approach to our announcement: WE ARE EXPECTING A BABY!
One of the Zoo’s Botswana elephants at the International Conservation Center is pregnant. 21-year-old Seeni is expected to deliver mid-summer 2017. Also get an inside view of our new state-of the-art Maternal Care Center.
All three females, Seeni, Sukiri, and Thandi, bred with Jackson, the Zoo’s bull elephant. An ultrasound revealed Seeni was pregnant and blood tests confirmed the pregnancy.
Willie Theison, the Zoo’s Elephant Manager, and his team are approaching Seeni’s pregnancy differently than with the Zoo’s other female elephants. “Seeni is still building a strong relationship with us,” says Theison. “She knows who we are and she responds well to us, but most importantly she needs to be comfortable with us around her, especially when she gives birth. We have been spending more time with her and working with her so she has that level of comfort.”
This is the second pregnancy for Seeni. At 14-years-old, while living at Okavango Delta in Botswana, she delivered her first calf. “Though she handled the birth well, she never bonded with the calf,” says Theison. “We attribute her lack of interest in the calf to being orphaned at an early age and never having a relationship with her mother so she could learn. Now that she is older, we are hoping that she will want to care for her calf, but if she doesn’t, we are ready to step in to help. We will just have to wait and see. I won’t breathe a sigh of relief until I see mom with a healthy baby.”
An elephant’s gestation is up to 22 months, so estimates are that Seeni may give birth in July 2017. Exercise is a priority and keepers are making sure that Seeni is active throughout her pregnancy to build stamina and muscle tone, which helps with the delivery. As with any pregnancy, problems can occur. The calf could be stillborn or become lodged in the birth canal and die, which can be dangerous for the mother as well. Though the mortality rate of newborn elephants in captivity is approximately 30 percent, the Pittsburgh Zoo has had great success with delivering healthy calves.
“Seeni’s pregnancy is exciting news,” says Dr. Barbara Baker, President & CEO of the Pittsburgh Zoo & PPG Aquarium. “The infusion of new genetics is important to secure a future for African elephants in North America.”
“Visitors love to see elephants and they ask about what is happening to elephants in the wild,” says Dr. Baker. “Every day we hear about poaching and human–elephant conflict due to habitat loss. All of these are taking a toll on elephant populations. We have the best opportunity to educate our visitors and to provide them with information on elephant conservation efforts worldwide and how each individual can help.
The Botswana elephants are now residing in their new 34,000 square-foot Maternal Care Center.
Features of the new Maternal Care Center:
- A 26 –acre paddock abuts the bull paddock so the females and Jackson can see, hear, and touch each other plus having plenty of space to roam and explore their environment.
- There is a 16,000 square-foot indoor arena, so the elephants can move around, relax, and enjoy enrichment.
- The arena floor has over 24 inches of sand providing a soft base for the elephants.
- In-floor radiant heat will help keep the elephants warm and comfortable year around at a consistent temperature of 65 degrees Fahrenheit.
- There are eight stalls and a medical chute of check-ups and procedures.
- A water reclamation system will be installed to capture all rainwater to be recycled.
Confirmed: Jungle Odyssey will open Memorial Day weekend.
Thank you for that confirmation I wasn't sure she was actually pregnant but I would have liked to see the baby gorilla and I will miss hope I would like the zoo to get another female though
GraysonDP
Well-Known Member
Will the elephant remain off public display?
The only way the elephant will be public is if it is rejected by seeni then it will be moved to the zoo as one of the elephants there is still lactating
This article will answers questions about Seeni's pregnancy.
Elephant birth awaited at Somerset conservation center
Elephant birth awaited at Somerset conservation center
According to the app, Asian Forest is now Forest Passage.
Yes I'm guessing they changed the name because of the lynx moving in so people don't say why do they call it Asian forest if there is a Canada lynx there
The flamingos do not fit either.