Indianapolis Zoo’s new baby goes for first swim
INDIANAPOLIS (WISH) — The Indianapolis Zoo’s new baby elephant, Jabari, went swimming for the first time this week.
The zoo shared the special moment in a Facebook post:
“#CuteAlert – Jabari the baby elephant went swimming for the first time!
He took baby steps going in and made sure he stayed close to Mom until he was comfortable. Zahara, a very attentive mother, kept a very close eye on him once he started getting a little adventurous in the water. We think it’s safe to say, Jabari is a big fan of the water.
He took baby steps going in and made sure he stayed close to Mom until he was comfortable. Zahara, a very attentive mother, kept a very close eye on him once he started getting a little adventurous in the water. We think it’s safe to say, Jabari is a big fan of the water. 
“Jabari took baby steps into the water, staying close to his mom, Zahara, before getting comfortable. The zoo says Jabari is a big fan of the water!
Zahara is an African elephant and gave birth to Jabari at the zoo in September. Jabari weighed a whopping 262 pounds. Staff worked through the Labor Day weekend to help the first-time mother birth the calf, but the 17-year-old was only in labor for 20 minutes before the Jabari arrived at 5:30 p.m. on Labor Day.
“The birth made history as the first elephant in the world (African or Asian) to be born through artificial insemination to a mother who was also born through the same procedure,” the zoo said in a news release.
Jabari was standing within 10 minutes of his birth. Mom and baby were bonding quickly, zoo staff say. The boy weighed a bit more than most newborns but appeared healthy.
Jabari’s first swim is one of many baby moments recently at the Indianapolis Zoo. A long-tailed macaque monkey was born in October and is one of the newest babies at the Zoo.
The little boy, born to mom Glenda in November, is a certified cutie rocking a Black mohawk.
In August, the aquatic family at the Indianapolis Zoo got a little bit bigger after the birth of a new cownose ray. The “sweet baby ray” can be seen swimming with the school of rays at the touch pool in the zoo’s Oceans exhibit.
The zoo also shared that rays are born with their wings folded over like a taco, and they learn to glide quickly after birth.