Louisville Zoo awaiting birth of 200-pound baby

LOUISVILLE, Ky. (AP) — The Louisville Zoo is expecting the birth of a 200-pound (90 kilogram) baby.

The Courier Journal reports , staff is on 24-hour watch since a 33-year-old African elephant there entered her birthing window.

Elephants have a long gestation period, and Mikki has been pregnant since October 2017. The zoo announced the pregnancy in March 2018. Now, she could go into labor within days.

Staff is taking daily blood samples. The zoo says that when Mikki’s progesterone levels drop, that will be a sign of impending birth.

This will be Mikki’s second baby. Her first baby, Scotty, was born in March 2007 and died from complications of colic. That’s a common ailment for elephants and horses.