Houston Zoo welcomes baby boy elephant Teddy, looks forward to 'introducing him to Houston'

The Houston Zoo has welcomed a new addition to the family with the birth of male elephant Teddy.

A release from the Houston Zoo said that Sunday, May 16, at 8:04 p.m., 37-year-old Asian elephant Tess gave birth to a 391-pound male named Teddy. 

“Our animal team is thrilled that the birth has gone smoothly,” Lisa Marie Avendano, vice president of animal operations at the Houston Zoo said, according to the press release. “We look forward to continuing to watch Teddy and Tess bond, and introducing him to Houston.”  

Teddy's mother, Tess, gave birth to him in the McNair Asian Elephant Habitat cow barn while being under the supervision of keepers and vet staff. 

"She and the calf will undergo post-natal exams and may spend time bonding behind the scenes. During the bonding period, the elephant team is watching for the pair to share several key moments like communicating with mom and hitting weight goals," the release said on Monday, May 17. 

Since the birth, Jackie Wallace, senior director of Public Relations at the Houston Zoo, said that Teddy has joined the other elephants out in the yard. 

"Teddy is out in the elephant yard with the herd most mornings until early afternoon," Wallace told the Houston Daily.

The release said that the zoo will continue to monitor Teddy for elephant endotheliotropic herpesvirus (EEHV), which is one of the deadliest viral diseases for elephants worldwide, and that the zoo's EEHV testing method has been used for elephants all over the world. 

According to the release, all those who visit the elephants, and other animals through the zoo's exhibits, help save elephants and other animals as a portion of each admission goes toward protecting wild elephants in Asia.