Hope you had a chance to see Churchill Downs Twin Spires and Louisville Waterfront Park’s Big Four® Bridge (with a little white blended in) lit green in honor of Mikki’s calf. Starting tonight LG&E and KU building’s usual green light … Find Out More
The calf has arrived! African elephant Mikki successfully gave birth at 11:24 p.m. last night to a male calf! Mikki and calf are doing fine. Special thanks to the dedicated elephant care team for taking such good care of Mikki … Find Out More
Here’s Mikki’s latest transabdominal (through her belly) ultrasound. We can see her uterus, amniotic fluid, membranes and part of the elephant fetus pops into view. At this point in the pregnancy, the elephant fetus is too large to be captured … Find Out More
Mikki is lactating! Please note, she is not in labor yet. Staff have been able to express milk from her mammary glands in a regular check up. We are getting closer. We wait, but not idly. We continue our 24-hour … Find Out More
Qannik celebrates her 8th birthday with treats, toys, and keeper-made enrichment fun.
At age 3, Kindi is definitely now looking more like a juvenile than an infant, but she is still as rambunctious as ever. Kindi and her surrogate mother Kweli are being slowly integrated into silverback Casey’s family group. The family … Find Out More
It’s #MikkiMonday! Mikki has entered the birthing window and staff are on 24-hour watch. We are now taking blood samples daily to monitor Mikki’s progesterone levels. Yesterday, her levels were still high. Once they drop to baseline, it means that Mikki may go into labor within a few days. At this stage of her pregnancy, Mikki is now carrying a calf that is over 200 lbs! Find Out More
Most moms have been kicked by their babies during their pregnancy. Mikki too. During Mikki’s ultrasound today we saw calf movement on the outside. Watch the green circles. The calf moves three times! Getting closer. Find Out More
We’ve been taking weekly blood samples from Mikki to monitor her progesterone levels, and soon, we will be taking daily blood samples. When her progesterone levels drop to baseline, this means that Mikki will be giving birth to her calf very soon! In Mikki’s previous pregnancy, she gave birth three days after her progesterone levels reached baseline. #MikkiMonday Find Out More
During Mikki’s pregnancy, we wanted to keep her weight gain to 500 pounds. Her daily walks with keepers have kept her well within her goal! Next time you’re at the Zoo, ask a keeper who walks with her about their own Fitbit numbers! Find Out More