New elephant calf at St. Louis Zoo dies just 27 days after his birth
A baby elephant born inside the St. Louis Zoo last month has died.
The calf, named Avi, was born July 6 to Rani, a 23-year-old Asian elephant.
According to a news release from the zoo, Avi was born with developmental impairments that limited his ability to feed.
“Despite intensive care efforts and life support measures, including assistance with feedings and continuous intravenous treatments, the calf did not improve,” the release stated. The zoo said Avi was humanely euthanized on Sunday morning.
“Everyone here is just devastated right now,” said Jeffrey P. Bonner, the zoo’s president and CEO. “Our team of professional elephant care experts did everything possible to help improve the calf’s health. Unfortunately, in the end, it just wasn’t enough as his health complications were too severe.”
Avi, whose name meant “sun and air,” was only the second ever male elephant born inside the zoo. The first one was his father, Raja, who was born in 1992.
The zoo’s Elephant Care Team had been preparing for Avi’s arrival for almost three years. The zoo’s veterinary team will conduct a full animal autopsy, the results of which will not be available for several weeks, the release stated.
This story was originally published August 2, 2020 at 6:45 PM.
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