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(Gallery by The Oregonian)

The Oregon Zoo's Rose-Tu gave birth to a female calf at 2:17 a.m. Friday and according to Kim Smith, zoo director, she "looks like she's going to be a real pistol."

"The calf is beautiful, healthy, tall and very vigorous, Smith said. "As soon as she hit the ground — before she was even out of the amniotic sac — she was wiggling. And she's vocalizing loudly ... She's definitely got a great set of pipes."

At a glance

Calf:

a 300-female, born at 2:17 a.m. Friday

Mother

: Rose-Tu, 18. The newborn is her second.

Father:

, 40. The calf is his eighth.

She conceived:

Feb. 23 or 24, 2011; keepers observed breeding behavior.

Last calf:

Samudra, born to the same parents Aug. 23, 2008, weighing 286 pounds. He exceeds 3,800 pounds today.

Gestation:

Typically 20 to 22 months; this one lasted more than 21 months.

Trouble:

Rose-Tu was a first-time mother when Samudra was born. She'd never witnessed a birth. Shortly after delivering Samudra

. Keepers separated them; when they were later reintroduced, Rose-Tu and Samudra bonded.This birth apparently went more smoothly.

Zoo's breeding history:

Once the nation's top breeding program, the Oregon Zoo's elephants produced 27 calves from the 1960s to the 1990s, beginning with Packy, born April 14, 1962. Zoo visitors celebrated his 50th birthday this spring. Like zoos continent-wide, Portland's ran out of room and breeding stopped, from 1994 to 2005 in Portland's case. Zoos didn't reinvigorate programs until a study published in 2000 suggested that unless breeding resumed, so many Asian elephants would have died that by 2050 fewer than 20 would remain in North American zoos.

Oregon Zoo herd:

Three cows, three bulls, a 4-year-old male, plus the newborn.

First months:

Calves typically lose weight the first week, then gain about two pounds a day. They can nurse up to five years but supplement mother's milk with solid food -- fruit, vegetables, hay -- after 10 or 12 months.

Attendance:

The

the first month Samudra went on exhibit.

More on Rose-Tu

: Before she was born, zookeepers and veterinarians didn't know that her mother, Me-Tu, carried twins, a rare condition typically fatal to mothers and calves. She gave birth to Rose-Tu and about eight hours later delivered another calf, which survived only an hour.

New exhibi

t: The

called for an expanded and improved elephant enclosure. Dubbed Elephant Lands, it will grow from 1.5 acres to 6 acres, and will give the pachyderms an array of opportunities to choose how they spend their time. Bulls, for instance, will have chances to drift in and out of the herd as they choose. Construction, due to begin next year, could wrap up by Dec. 1, 2014.

Off-site facility:

The bond measure also called for an off-site reserve, where zoo elephants would have more room to roam when not on exhibit. A feasibility study for the facility is complete and planning is under way. Roslyn Lake, drained in 2008 when Portland General Electric decommissioned the Little Sandy Dam, is considered the most promising site, but Metro, which operates the zoo, hasn't purchased it or other land. Plus, the zoo hasn't figure out where it will get the operating expenses once the facility is built.

The calf, which weighs 300 pounds, arrived after 30 hours of labor.

Mother, Rose, reportedly is doing well.

Immediately after the birth, the animal-care staff took the calf aside, cleaned her up and did a quick veterinary check. They're working this morning to reintroduce the calf to Rose. The calf is nursing a little.

A zoo news release quotes Smith: "Rose is doing considerably better this time around. When Samudra was born, it was four days before she would even let him come near her, so we're much farther along this time."

Smith said the elephant crew already is seeing motherly behavior from Rose.

"These are great signs that the mother-calf bond will be a strong one.

Zoo officials haven't determined when they'll allow the public in to see the newcomer.

"Rose should allow the calf to nurse regularly, sleep, play and generally act like a calf without trying to stop it and control its movements," said Bob Lee, elephant curator. "Then we'll determine whether she's calm and comfortable with staff around. And finally, we want to make sure the calf has had a chance to bond with the rest of the herd."

In the summer of 2008, visitors were first allowed to see Samudra when he was about 1 week old.

That Saturday, the zoo allowed 30 visitors at a time to spend five minutes in the indoor viewing area. They were asked to speak softly, if at all, and asked not to use a flash if shooting still photography or videotape.

Keepers expect to choose a short list of possible names for the newborn, then give the zoo fans an opportunity to vote for their favorite online, as they did after Samudra was born in 2008.

-- Katy Muldoon; twitter.com/katymuldoon