Omaha's Henry Doorly Zoo announces name of new elephant calf, another elephant pregnancy
The Henry Doorly Zoo made two exciting announcements Friday morning.
Omaha's landmark zoo is expecting a fifth elephant calf to be born to Oma, the daughter of the herd's matriarch, in late February or early March of 2024.
The zoo's third calf was born to Lolly earlier this month. They announced Friday that he is named Mopani, which was to honor the heritage of the elephants.
"He's named after the mopani tree in Africa, elephants do forage on the tree," Cassie Quimby, senior elephant keeper at the zoo, said.
Veterinarians said he is developing well and that mother and son have been inseparable since birth.
"He's getting more coordinated. We're starting to see play elicited from Mopani. Some balls and firehose cubes, we've seen him manipulating. He's getting some outdoor time with the nice outdoor time that we've had with his mom in our off-exhibit yard," Quimby said.
As Lolly towers over her first-born son, he follows closely behind.
"She instantly bonded with her son as soon as he was born. She's very attentive," Quimby said.
And his siblings are warming up to their new baby brother.
"Nia is just starting to take interest into Mopani, but Sonny is pretty enamored with his little brother," Quimby said.
A fourth calf is expected to be born this summer to Jayei, the herd's matriarch.
The zoo welcomed Sonny and Eugenia in January 2022.