Disney’s Animal Kingdom Trumpets Precious Pachyderm Arrival

May 23, 2003 - The Walt Disney World Resort’s animal care team welcomed the first African elephant calf to be born at Disney’s Animal Kingdom Theme Park last night. The 296-pound bundle of joy was born at 10:05 p.m. to its 22-year-old mother Moyo. The first-time mother was in labor on and off for four hours before giving birth to the calf, which was conceived through artificial insemination on August 25, 2001. This is the fourth surviving African elephant calf in North America to have resulted from an artificial insemination procedure.

"There has been great anticipation around this birth for a very long time," said Dr. Beth Stevens, vice president of Disney’s Animal Kingdom Theme Park. "African elephants are endangered and difficult to breed, and having a successful birth is a significant event both for the species and for our talented and experienced team of elephant experts who have been working on a breeding program at our park for more than two years. It is especially meaningful to welcome the birth of our first elephant calf to Disney’s Animal Kingdom in the year that we celebrate our fifth anniversary."

Both the calf and the mother are doing fine so far according to veterinarians and elephant managers, who are cautiously optimistic about the calf’s likelihood for survival. With assistance from the animal care team, the newborn male stood on its wobbly legs and took its first steps within its first hour of life.

"The next critical milestone is for the mother to accept the calf and for nursing to begin," said John Lehnhardt, animal operations director for Disney’s Animal Kingdom Theme Park. "We worked through the night to help that process along and will continue to do so. In the meantime, we are bottle feeding the calf, and he has a very healthy appetite."

Lehnhardt noted that breeding African elephants is a challenging process. One reason is because many of the elephants giving birth in zoos and wildlife parks are first-time mothers - just as the elephant at Disney’s Animal Kingdom is -- and it is not unusual for first-time elephant mothers both in the wild and in wildlife parks -- to lose their first calf, either through a still birth or following the birth.

Last month, veterinarians and elephant managers at Disney’s Animal Kingdom were deeply saddened after they determined that another pregnant African elephant named Robin lost her calf in the womb. Robin was in labor off and on for two days, and many unsuccessful attempts were made to induce productive labor until it was concluded that the calf had died. One other elephant at Disney’s Animal Kingdom is pregnant and is expected to give birth next summer.

Going forward, the focus of the elephant managers and veterinarians at Disney’s Animal Kingdom will be on the health and welfare of the calf and mother. It is too soon to say when the baby will be on the savannah for Guests to view, but in the near future, Guests will be able to see the progress of the little one on camera monitors at Rafiki’s Planet Watch at Disney’s Animal Kingdom.

African elephants are classified as endangered species by IUCN, the World Conservation Union, and their future in zoos and wildlife parks is complicated as the aging pachyderm population in North American zoos passes its reproductive prime.

Disney’s Animal Kingdom has a breeding program that is part of a cooperative effort coordinated by the American Zoo and Aquarium Association (AZA) that is focused on sustaining the elephant population in North America.

AZA’s Elephant Species Survival Plan (SSP) has called for a five-fold increase in African elephant reproduction efforts - using both natural and artificial breeding methods - in order to create a self-sustaining elephant population among North American zoos and wildlife centers.

Artificial insemination is playing an important role in the effort to breed elephants in North America, particularly because it allows for elephant reproduction at zoos and wildlife parks without having to move animals from one place to another to attempt reproduction naturally.

Preparing for a newborn

In the same way that people prepare their homes for a newborn baby, the staff at Disney’s Animal Kingdom took steps to "baby proof" the elephant habitat to ensure that there were no hazards for a young elephant calf. The team has taken a critical look at the habitat and made many changes including planting more trees and shrubbery for shading purposes, closing gaps between boulders, and the installation of a shallow pool behind-the-scenes where the calf will be able to explore the water and learn to swim in a safe environment.

Moyo received extensive pre-natal care during her pregnancy. In addition to regular ultrasounds, veterinarians and elephant managers monitored her hormonal levels on a daily basis to help them determine when she would give birth. She has been receiving around-the-clock attention from the animal care team over the past few weeks as the birth became imminent.

Things have been unusually busy as Disney’s Animal Kingdom over the past week. In addition to the birth of the elephant calf, the animal care team has also welcomed the birth of a healthy baby hippo, a siamang ape, which was born via caesarian section and two wildebeest calves.

LAKE BUENA VISTA, Fla. (April 22, 2003) -- With an eye-popping celebration fit for a lion king, Disney’s Animal Kingdom theme park marked its fifth anniversary today -- and announced plans for Expedition EVEREST, a mammoth new E-ticket thrill attraction to open for Walt Disney World guests in 2006.

At the same time, Disney officials announced an Aug. 15 preview opening for Epcot’s Mission: SPACE, a one-of-a-kind thrill that will rocket guests to the galaxies in an out-of-this-world space adventure. Mission: SPACE officially launches in October. Presented by HP and featuring breakthrough technology that creates an unforgettable launch sequence and interplanetary journey, Mission: SPACE will take amazed riders straight up into space and on to Mars.

Officials also announced an opening date of Dec. 14 for Disney’s Pop Century Resort, which will add 2,880 value-priced rooms to Walt Disney World Resort in its first phase. Guests may now begin booking rooms at the resort, which celebrates the toys, fads, fashions, crazes and phrases of the 20th century.

"The opening plans for Mission: SPACE and Pop Century and the construction of Expedition EVEREST are good news for our guests and good news for tourism," said Al Weiss, president of Walt Disney World Resort. "We remain upbeat about the future and are moving forward with determined momentum."

And in the short-term, Weiss said, Walt Disney World will launch a summer of special events and attractions to give guests more reasons than ever to visit, including:

• The 10th annual Epcot International Flower & Garden Festival, April 25-June 8.
• Star Wars Weekends, celebrating the popular Star Wars legends and characters, for five consecutive weekends beginning May 16-18 at Disney-MGM Studios.
• Epcot World Music Concert Series June 13-Sept. 1 featuring a global lineup of performers appearing at America Gardens Theatre.
• Showtime! More walk-around Disney characters than ever before in the parks, new acts lighting the night at the Cirque du Soleil® production La Nouba, and the new "Spirit of Aloha" South Seas dinner show at Disney’s Polynesian Resort.
• The triumphant return to Disney’s Wide World of Sports Complex of the Super Bowl champion Tampa Bay Buccaneers for their 2003 training camp in July and August.

To pounding African drums and surrounded by dancers and puppets, Weiss and park vice president Beth Stevens led ceremonies Tuesday as Disney’s Animal Kingdom celebrated five years of growth since its Earth Day opening in 1998. Then howling winds, a rising mountain, billowing snow and a parka-clad Goofy heralded the surprise announcement:

Expedition EVEREST is coming.

Set to rise on the eastern range of the 500-acre park, Expedition EVEREST will be a high-speed train adventure among the glaciers, canyons and caverns of the snowy Himalayas. The old mountain railway will follow a perilous course and -- in a first for Walt Disney World Resort -- send riders both forward and backward to an eventual encounter with the yeti, the feared creature guarding the route to Mount Everest.

At nearly 200 feet, Expedition EVEREST will be the tallest mountain in Florida and will rise in the Asia section of the park. When it opens in 2006, guests will be able to conquer the thrills and chills of Expedition EVEREST as it climbs and careens among the mountain slopes.

Starting in mid-August, Mission: SPACE guests will lift off on an almost inconceivable adventure into outer space. From the countdown on Earth to touchdown on Mars,
Mission: SPACE will scrape the heavens -- and throw Epcot guests some pulse-racing surprises along the way. Mission: SPACE is located in the Future World section of Epcot.

Larger-than-life pop icons such as a Big Wheel, Rubik’s Cube, Duncan Yo-Yo and Play-Doh anchor the first phase of Disney’s Pop Century Resort, opening in December. Pools shaped like a flower and a bowling pin evoke way-back-when memories, and features include a food court, lounge and arcade.

Rates start at $77 per night. For reservations and more information, guests can call 407/W-DISNEY.