(Omaha, NE) -- Omaha's Henry Doorly Zoo and Aquarium announces that another elephant in their herd is pregnant.
On Wednesday, zoo President Dennis Pate announced that Jayei, the herd's matriarch, is expecting. That marks the fourth pregnancy in their herd recently. "We couldn't even dreamed this, I don't think, that we'd have this kind of winning streak going," Pate told KFAB Radio News. Pate says Jayei is due in roughly thirteen months. Earlier this year the zoo announced that Lolly, a ten year old African elephant, was pregnant. She's expected to deliver in about eight months.
In January the zoo welcomed two calves, Sonny and Eugenia, the first elephants to ever be born at Henry Doorly. Eugenia was the first elephant born in the Zoo’s 127-year history and was born on January 7. Sonny was the second African elephant born at Omaha’s Henry Doorly Zoo and Aquarium, just a few weeks later. "Now we've got five females, a male, two calves and two more on the way. So we're getting to the point where this is starting to resemble a herd that you might see in the wild."
Even more impressive than the births and pregnancies themselves, is what they represent for the conservation efforts for African elephants. "When you combine this year and next year, Omaha, Nebraska is gonna be responsible for half of the (African elephant) births in North America." Pate says Sonny and Eugenia's births this year were the only ones for African elephants in North America in 2022.