St. Louis Zoo

Pregnant elephant loses her baby
By Diane Toroian Keaggy
ST. LOUIS POST-DISPATCH
11/19/2005

Hopes for a healthy elephant calf at the St. Louis Zoo were dashed Saturday. Curators determined that the calf carried by the Asian elephant Sri has died, the Zoo announced.

The death has devastated keepers, who have spent years preparing for the Zoo's first elephant birth since Raja's arrival almost 13 years ago. Sri's calf was sired by Raja.

"We never lost hope until this morning," said Martha Fischer, curator of mammals and ungulates. "It was tremendously exciting to care for Sri. We had so much hope."

Fischer is not entirely sure what went wrong, but it appears that Sri's calf, a female, never moved into the right position to trigger labor. Sri and her calf appeared healthy throughout the 22-month pregnancy, and when Sri's hormone levels dropped two weeks ago, elephant keepers prepared for labor to start.

When it did not, Fischer and her team weighed every option to deliver the calf. They could give Sri oxytocin to speed up labor, but that course works only if the calf is engaged in the cervix. Sri's calf was not. Could a C-section be performed? No. Mothers and calves never survive. The calf ultimately died in utero late last week.

"When her levels dropped, we were elated with hope, but as time went on and on, concern started to grow," said Fischer. "We considered every possible alternative, but, like with all animals and humans, there are some things that cannot be controlled. In the end it was up to Mother Nature. It was up to Sri."

Elephant reproductive specialist Dennis Schmitt of Missouri State University checked for fetal movement three times Friday and Saturday. Each test turned up negative. Schmitt said first-time mothers sometimes have difficult deliveries. He does not believe Sri's age, 25, played a role in the death.

"There are a lot of elephants that deliver without complications at that age," he said.

Sri was eating and moving normally in her yard Saturday afternoon. Fischer said other elephants have carried dead fetuses for a year or more before delivering them naturally. The calf could weigh up to 300 pounds.

"We will be monitoring Sri day by day," said Fischer. "The hope remains that she will breed in the future."

Fischer appeared shaky from exhaustion. She has not been home since Nov. 2, sleeping instead at nearby hotel or the elephant house. Her commitment was matched by elephant keepers who kept a 24-hour vigil over Sri for several weeks.

"We need some time to sleep and grieve," she said. "We will come back with a fresh mind and outlook."

Two other elephants - Ellie and Rani - are both expecting. Raja sired both calves. The St. Louis Zoo built a $6.6 million elephant facility and one-acre yard in 1999 to start a breeding program.

The Zoo is home to six females and Raja, the Zoo's most popular attraction. When Raja was born in 1992, more than 10,000 visitors turned out to celebrate his debut, and 43,000 people entered the Zoo's baby-naming contest. Every year, hundreds of visitors turn out for Raja's birthday party. The Zoo staff expected the same excitement to surround this calf's birth.

"It's hard to describe, but we felt the support from the people," said Fischer. "It is amazing how much interest there is. They are there when you have something to celebrate and to catch you when things go wrong."

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