Elephants are expecting babies in the spring

Two of the Houston Zoo’s Asian elephants, Tess and Tupelo, are expecting this spring.

Tess and Tupelo are mother and daughter; the daughter, Tupelo, is expected to give birth first and is a first-time mother. Tess is mother to three other elephants: Tucker, 15; Tupelo, 10; and Tilly, 2.

Zoo officials said they have spent the last two years monitoring the pregnancies and are confident both are on schedule and advancing normally.

“The elephant team looks forward to watching them share several key moments that will prepare them for their public debut,” officials said. “Nursing, communicating with mom, and hitting weight goals are important milestones for a growing baby elephant.”

A portion of each zoo admission and membership is donated to protecting wild elephants in Asia. The zoo also provides equipment and training to track wild elephants in Asia and has a data collection team working to provide information for future national protection plans.