Guests visiting Disney’s Animal Kingdom’s savanna aboard the signature attraction, Kilimanjaro Safaris, can see a brand-new and completely adorable 312-pound resident.
What’s Happening:
- There is a new resident amongst the Elephant herd at Disney’s Animal Kingdom. Corra, a two-month-old African elephant, made her debut today.
- Her mother, Nadirah, was also born at Disney’s Animal Kingdom making Corra the first second-generation elephant in Disney’s Animal Kingdom’s history.
- Corra will be surrounded by a few familiar faces on the savanna, since she is joining a herd that includes her aunts Stella and Luna, as well as her grandmother, Donna. Corra’s dad, Mac, also lives on the Savanna at Disney’s Animal Kingdom.
- It all started with the animal care team at the park and their endocrinologists noticing Nadirah’s new behaviors and maturity, indicating she might be ready to become a mom.
- After some hopeful introductions and a successful courtship, a match was made with Mac, leading to the magic of a second-generation calf at Disney’s Animal Kingdom.
- Throughout her pregnancy, Nadirah had regular ultrasounds to make sure mom and baby were healthy. The final ultrasound was planned just a few weeks before she gave birth, but unlike ultrasounds you may know from human pregnancies, park veterinarians couldn’t see the entire calf because of Corra’s size and position. Still able to check in on the calf by feeling Nadirah’s belly, veterinarian Dr. Betsy could feel Corra move and even felt a little kick.
- Nadirah voluntarily participated in her own care and keepers made sure she was comfortable every step of her pregnancy. That meant getting plenty of healthy and nutritious treats like her favorites, sweet potatoes, carrots and hay during regular checkups and exams.
- With the big day in sight, the animal care and endocrinology teams carefully monitored the final stages of Nadirah’s nearly 22-month pregnancy, measuring the calf’s size, weight and mom’s hormones daily. A drop in progesterone levels was a sure sign that Corra’s arrival was close.
- It was also revealed today that through similar efforts, the park is now expecting the arrival of two more baby elephants in 2025.
- You can see the growing elephant dynasty now on Kilimanjaro Safaris at Disney’s Animal Kingdom. To journey into the wilds of Harambe at the park, home of the signature attraction, we suggest reaching out to our friends at Mouse Fan Travel, who can assist with all your Disney travel needs.
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