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WEST PALM BEACH - A DNA test confirms that an African elephant in Florida is the father of a calf born 1,300 miles away.
Wildlife experts worked for five years to impregnate Renee, a 24-year-old elephant at the Toledo, Ohio, Zoo through artificial insemination.
At Lion Country Safari in Florida, officials collected semen from Bulwagi, a 22-year-old African elephant, more than 30 times in three years and shipped it overnight to Toledo.
They learned about two years ago that Renee was pregnant. But because more than one elephant was providing semen, they had to wait for the April 30 birth and a DNA test on the infant pachyderm to confirm Bulwagi's paternity.
At Lion Country Safari in Loxahatchee, about 20 miles from West Palm Beach, where Bulwagi roams the Serengeti Plains section, officials are not surprised. They say of the 30 male African elephants in the nation, Bulwagi has emerged as the "perfect donor" because he has the highest sperm motility.
This weekend, Bulwagi is scheduled to provide semen for Rafiki, the other female elephant at the Toledo Zoo, said Jenn Berthume, a spokeswoman for Lion Country Safari.
Pregnancies occur only 30 to 50 percent of the time, said Dr. Dennis Schmitt, who oversees the elephant insemination program.
"It's difficult but it's certainly to save a species so we're all for it," Berthume said.
Toledo Zoo officials are watching Renee and the unnamed baby closely, making sure they bond and that Renee doesn't become too aggressive toward the baby.
In the wild, raising babies comes naturally for elephants, who learn from and get assistance from other females in the herd. In zoos, keepers must help new mothers adjust to the role.
Only about half of the 35 African elephants born at American zoos have survived the first year.