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SALT LAKE CITY -- We first told you about a famous Utah mother-to-be in February 2008. Well, Christie has finally given birth and, before you do the math, Christie is a very popular pachyderm at Hogle Zoo.
A star is born; not yet one-month-old and already performing. Baby, her name for now, is 37 inches tall. She weighed 251 pounds at birth, but has since packed on an additional 10 or 20 pounds, preparing to become Hogle Zoo's main attraction. She is, as the saying goes, "a chip off the old block."
"It's been so great to see them bonding, getting used to each, getting used to the yard," said Hogle Zoo spokeswoman Holly Braithwaite. "Our animal care staff has worked around the clock, literally, to make sure that these two are doing well and that they're healthy."
This family moment has been years in the making. KSL News visited Christie more than a year and a half ago when zookeepers announced her pregnancy.
At 22, she had not been able to conceive. Finally, German specialists traveled to help. The third insemination worked, and 18 months later, Christie has a healthy and happy baby girl.
"Seeing her active--playing in the mud, running around--is so rewarding for all the hard work that has been, literally, years in the making," Braithwaite said.
Momma and baby will be greeting zoo visitors for the first time at a fundraiser Thursday evening, and then the general public starting this Friday morning. You can vote for a name by clicking HERE.
E-mail: cmikita@ksl.com
