The Sedgwick County Zoo reported Monday that its 29-year-old African elephant Simunye has delivered a stillborn calf following a full-term pregnancy.
Zoo officials said Simunye’s 22-month pregnancy ended Friday, March 14 despite the expert care provided by the elephant care and veterinary teams. Regular prenatal exams and behavioral observations indicated that both mom and calf were healthy with no sign of complications throughout the entire gestational term.
Simunye began showing signs of active labor early Thursday morning while the care team watched remotely to allow for the most natural birthing environment. She delivered her calf Friday afternoon and despite her best attempts to assist, it showed no signs of movement. Other members of the herd surrounded Simunye throughout labor, and continued to provide support throughout the night as they grieved the loss together. The calf, a female, was named Malaika, which means “angel” in Swahili.
The Zoo’s president and CEO, Scott Newland, said in a press release that “This is a time of extreme sadness for the entire Zoo family. We were so excited to welcome a new member to the herd, and the entire pregnancy progressed exactly as it should have. Unfortunately though, not all pregnancies end in healthy births and we don’t always get an answer as to why.”
An examination found that the calf had died during the birthing process.
The Zoo has four other elephants that are expecting calves this year.
