Female baby elephant born at the Houston Zoo

There is a baby boom of large proportions going on near the Texas Medical Center.

Wednesday night, the Houston Zoo welcomed a brand new baby elephant into their ever-growing family.

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Just before 8:30 pm. Asian elephant Shanti gave birth to a newborn calf weighing in at 305 pounds. The calf's name is Joy, according to zoo staff.

Joy was born in the McNair Asian Elephant Habitat cow barn under the watch of keepers and veterinary staff specially training to assist in elephant births.

The newborn won't debut to the public for a while though, as is customary. The mother and daughter will be bonding behind the scenes for several days before the big reveal.

Joy, a baby Asian elephant, stands closely to her mother, Shanti, after being born at the Houston Zoo in Houston, Texas on July 12, 2017. Click through to see more photos of the Houston Zoo's new, big bundle of joy... less Joy, a baby Asian elephant, stands closely to her mother, Shanti, after being born at the Houston Zoo in Houston, Texas on July 12, 2017. Click through to see more photos of the Houston Zoo's new, big bundle of ... more Photo: Houston Zoo/Courtesy To The Houston Chronicle Photo: Houston Zoo/Courtesy To The Houston Chronicle Image 1 of / 9 Caption Close Female baby elephant born at the Houston Zoo 1 / 9 Back to Gallery

Shanti, 26, was pregnant for two years before giving birth to Joy.

"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," zoo staff said in a statement Thursday.

This isn't Shanti's first calf. She is the mother of 2 boys, Duncan and Baylor, who also reside at the zoo.

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"Our animal team is thrilled that the birth has gone smoothly," Lisa Marie Avendano, vice president of animal operations at the Houston Zoo. said in a statement. "We look forward to continuing to watch Joy and Shanti bond, and introducing her to Houston."

In May, the Houston Zoo opened an expanded elephant habitat. As a part of the expansion, a new 6,500-square-foot barn was custom-built to house the zoo's bull elephants and a new yard was constructed next to their 160,000-gallon pool.