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OGOR: A 22-year-old Sumatran elephant has delivered a calf, a male, at Taman Safari Indonesia (TSI) Zoo in Cisarua, Bogor, West Java.

The newborn calf was named Januar.

TSI director Frans Manangsang said the calf was born naturally with help from a Taman Safari team of veterinarians.

“We gave him the name Januar because he was born in January, and it has been a gift for all of us. The mother of the baby elephant, Kartini, carried him for 20 months. Her partner was 27-year-old Kadir,” Frans said.

Frans said the birth of Januar was special because it was the 18th male elephant to have been born at the zoo.

With Januar’s birth, the zoo now has 43 elephants.

In the next couple of weeks, veterinarians at the zoo will keep an eye on the newborn and his mother. — JP