Baby elephants to be born for 1st time ever at Fresno Chaffee Zoo

by: Isaiah Varela

FRESNO, Calif. (KSEE/KGPE) – Two pregnant elephants are expected to be the first-ever to bring newborn calves into the world at the Fresno Chaffee Zoo.

On Saturday, World Elephant Day, zoo officials announced that their African elephants, Nolwazi and Amahle, are pregnant.

“This is incredibly exciting news not just for our teams, but for the entire community,” said Fresno Chaffee Zoo General Curator Nicole Presley.

After the Chaffee Zoo welcomed Mabu from another AZA facility in November of 2022, they say he displayed breeding behaviors. Six months later, in May of 2023, the zoo received confirmation that both cows, or adult female elephants, were pregnant.

Zoo keepers say the calves are expected to be born between September and October of 2024. These will be the first elephant calves ever born at the Fresno Chaffee Zoo.

“We cannot wait to see the elephant calves interact with one another and grow
our herd here at the Zoo,” Presley continued.

The Zoo’s Animal Care teams will be monitoring both elephants and preparing their environments for the arrival of their calves.

Anyone who wants to keep up with this exciting news can find updates on the Fresno Chaffee Zoo’s social media.