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Thursday, December 2, 1999
Elephant born from artificial insemination
The vitals: 378 pounds, 674 days in the womb, an unfailing nose for food
Associated Press
SPRINGFIELD, Mo. - In an important milestone for an endangered species, an Asian elephant has given birth through artificial insemination.
Weighing in at 378 pounds, Haji was born Sunday at Dickerson Park Zoo. It was the world's first birth through artificial insemination of an Asian elephant, which are estimated to number only 35,000 worldwide.
"I think this opens the possibilities in a number of areas, the main goal being the conservation of the animal," said Michael Hutchins, director of conservation and science for the American Zoo and Aquarium Association in Maryland.
"This is another way that captive animals can help preserve wild elephants and their place in nature," he said.
Veterinarians had tried unsuccessfully since the mid-1980s to impregnate an Asian elephant through artificial insemination. One problem is determining when the females breed in captivity. Another was the male's semen peaking early.
"We had to develop a technique to gather the semen and preserve its ability to fertilize," said Dickerson veterinarian Dennis Schmitt. "This all took a very long time."
Because male elephants are very aggressive, they need special holding pens and can't be kept with females, making breeding options difficult. Scientists hope artificial insemination will alleviate some of the expense and difficulty of transporting males between breeding facilities.
Meanwhile, Haji and mom Moola are bonding nicely. After 674 days in his mother's womb, Haji was standing with assistance 20 minutes later and nursing three hours later
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