In 2005 the bull elephant Tusko arrived at the Oregon Zoo on a breeding loan . . . with a twinkle in his eye. Rose-Tu was receptive to his advances and became pregnant.
On August 23, 2008 she gave birth to her first calf, Samudra. Samudra is the first third-generation elephant born the United States.
The Oregon Zoo’s Asian elephant breeding program is world renown, tracing its history to 1962 when Packy was born, the first baby elephant to be conceived, born and to survive in a zoo in the United States so far as the records show.
Today (August 23, 2011), the Oregon Zoo is throwing a third birthday celebration for Samudra – starting at 11:15am when the keepers present the youngster with a birthday cake.
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