“We’re getting very close,” Newby said. “Things are progressing quite nicely. She’s monitored every day with blood draws to track her progesterone levels.”

But pachyderm supervisor Nick Newby is betting the birth of the second elephant in the zoo’s history will come sooner rather than later. If Asha follows the same period she did when she gave birth to Malee almost four years ago the new calf will be born Saturday, after about a 600-day gestation period.

Asha, one of the zoo’s female Asian elephants, is nearing the end of her 22-month pregnancy. The as-yet unnamed calf could be born any day between now and the end of December.

Her hormone levels have been analyzed daily by staff at Integris Medical Center. When the progesterone levels begin to drop it can mean birth is as close as 12 hours away, or as far away as six days.

Each Thursday for the past several months, Newby and the rest of the pachyderm staff has been practicing for the delivery. That includes using a large elephant plush toy. And for this birth the zoo also will use a birth wall for the first time which allows for greater separation between Asha and staff during the birthing process.

“We do a lot of drills,” Newby said. “We want to make sure we are ready. We do so many things with our elephants to make sure that if any situation arises we’re ready for it, or as ready as we can be. There will always be things that throw you for a loop, but if it happens it won’t be as big of a deal because we have practiced.”

Malee’s birth gives the staff an extra level of experience.