Mar 25, 2007 8:21 pm US/Eastern
Ultrasounds Performed On Expectant Elephants
PITTSBURGH (KDKA) ―
Workers at the Pittsburgh Zoo and PPG Aquarium got an early glimpse of two new additions.
Ultrasounds were performed on two expectant mother elephants, Savannah and Moja, both 25 years old. The zoo's bull elephant, Jackson, fathered the babies.
Willie Theison, Elephant Manager at the zoo, says over the next few months, they will be making sure the pregnant pachyderms get plenty of exercise.
"We've got a pretty strenuous exercise program that we put the elephants on to keep them good muscle tone, build up their stamina because the labor for the birth is pretty hard on them," he said.
Theison says labor can last anywhere between 30 minutes to several hours.
Zoo keepers will also keep an eye on their weight to make sure they don't pack on any more extra pounds than they need to during the gestation period.
The zoo says Savannah and Moja could gain between 600 and 700 pounds.
If all goes well, the baby elephants are expected to arrive in the summer of 2008.
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