Question

beco the asian elephant:
an unexpected arrival

1
friday, march 27, 2009. 2:15 p.m. i arrive fifteen minutes early for
my shift at the columbus zoo and aquarium, and i immediately feel the
excitement in the air. connie and phoebe, both asian elephants, stand
together at the top of the outdoor elephant hill. connie is 35 years old. she
is the only other female in the herd besides phoebe, who is 21 years old. but
there is one other big difference between the two female elephants, or cows:
phoebe is pregnant.

2
the elephants’ caretakers and i have been excited about phoebe’s
pregnancy for a long time. gestation is the name for the period between
when a living thing becomes pregnant and gives birth. most asian elephants
have a gestation period of 21–23 months, or 620–660 days. today, phoebe has
been pregnant for 655 days.

3
i work at the zoo as a veterinarian. along with the caretakers, it’s my job
to keep a close eye on phoebe. we’ve done so throughout her pregnancy,
but especially over the last few days. blood tests hint that phoebe’s new calf
might arrive soon. the staff has created a safe indoor space for phoebe to
give birth alone. we prepared for phoebe to have her baby in the evening
or overnight, like asian elephants usually do in the wild. but today, this baby
elephant had different plans.

4
2:30 p.m. one of the staff members suddenly knocks on my door,
explaining in a rush that phoebe is acting strangely. as i walk briskly into
the indoor space, i see that phoebe is standing normally, but she seems
uncomfortable. she lifts one back leg and then the other, and then she
flicks her tail and flaps her ears. this makes connie curious, so she comes
near phoebe to check. suddenly, something appears on phoebe’s underside.
within a few minutes, a large sack-like object falls from her stomach to the
ground, along with a large amount of blood. i hear one of the elephants’
caretakers behind me gasp and whisper, “the baby elephant was just born!”

Explanation:

Since no specific question is provided about this text, it's not possible to give a targeted answer. If you have a question like analyzing the text (e.g., finding details about Phoebe's pregnancy, the birth process, etc.), or a comprehension question, please specify it so that I can assist you.

Answer:

Since no specific question is provided about this text, it's not possible to give a targeted answer. If you have a question like analyzing the text (e.g., finding details about Phoebe's pregnancy, the birth process, etc.), or a comprehension question, please specify it so that I can assist you.