Safari Park Welcomes New Addition to African Elephant Herd

The African elephant herd at San Diego Zoo Safari Park expanded Tuesday with the birth of a female calf.

The calf born to mother Swazi at 3:39 a.m. was up and walking within minutes, and “both are doing well,” according to a San Diego Zoo Safari Park statement.

Within hours, the new calf made its public debut on the park’s live elephant cam.

Swazi, which means “the fearful leader,” is head of the Safari Park’s African elephant herd. The herd consists of a dozen elephants, eight of which were born at the North County attraction formerly known as the Wild Animal Park.

Swazi is believed to be around 21 years old and is one of four herd members born in South Africa’s Kruger National Park.

The yet-to-be-named newborn calf is her second offspring. Her first, Macembe— pronounced ma-calm-bay—was born on April 12, 2010, and remains a part of the Safari Park herd.

Details about the new calf’s father and birth weight were not immediately released. A newborn African elephant calf can typically tip the scales at a couple hundred pounds.

-City News Service