Mysuru: It’s time to rejoice at Mysuru Zoo as an Asiatic Elephant and a Hippo have given birth.

Though a Wolf, Bison, Sambar Deer and a few animals had given birth during February and March this year, an Asiatic Elephant has given birth after a gap of 13 years at the Zoo.

On July 21, 13-year-old Iravathi, which was paired with Abhi, gave birth to a female calf. Though Iravathi found it difficult to feed her calf initially, timely intervention from the Zoo Veterinarian and her keeper, made it easy for her to feed. The calf is now moving around in its area and the other elephants too are co-operating with the new guest.

Another happy news is that Hippo Soundarya gave birth to a calf on July 22. She was paired with Sooraj. This is the second litter of the pair. It is yet to be known whether it is a male or a female calf.

“Two years ago, Soundarya had given birth and till now it is not known if the calf is male or female. We have to wait for two years to know whether it is a male or a female calf as it always stays in water,” said Zoo officials who added that both the mothers and the calf were healthy.

Meanwhile, Zoo Executive Director C. Ravishankar said that it is happy news that an Asiatic Elephant has given birth after decades and added that the birth of a hippo calf has added happiness to us. “We are monitoring the health of both the calves on priority and the tourists and visitors are very happy to see the calves,” he said.