Meet Corra: Disney’s Animal Kingdom’s Newest Baby Elephant Star

Quick Smiles:

• Disney’s Animal Kingdom recently celebrated the public debut of their newest baby elephant, Corra, who was born on the park grounds on December 13, 2023.
• Corra’s birth is the result of years of careful planning and monitoring by the Animal Kingdom staff, who assisted her mother, Nadirah, through her 22-month pregnancy.
• Disney hopes that Corra’s presence will inspire visitors to learn more about elephants and contribute to their conservation efforts.

Disney’s Animal Kingdom recently celebrated a momentous occasion as their newest addition, a baby elephant named Corra, made her public debut. Born on December 13, 2023, the little calf joyfully emerged from her living quarters, closely followed by her mother, Nadirah. The duo then proceeded to graze peacefully, much to the delight of the visitors on the Kilimanjaro Safaris ride.

Corra and Nadirah were later joined by other members of their family, including Nadirah’s mother Donna and her half-sisters, Stella and Luna. This family of five will remain together on the savanna, guiding Corra through her formative years, mirroring the behavior of female elephants in the wild.

“The entire process is very slow,” says Liz Warncke, animal care manager for Disney’s Animals, Science and Environment. “We start with small introductions just to kind of see [the elephants’] first reactions to each other. Fortunately for us, Mac and Nadirah were always very interested in each other.”

The birth of Corra is not just a new attraction for park visitors, but the culmination of years of meticulous planning and monitoring by the Animal Kingdom staff. Nadirah was helped to conceive naturally with one of the park’s three male elephants, Mac. From there, every aspect of her pregnancy was closely monitored, including conducting ultrasounds, checking vital signs, and adjusting her diet as necessary.

Warncke recalls the day of Corra’s birth, “She was uncomfortable for the last few days leading up to Corra’s birth, but nothing to where we saw the signs of active labor. And then right before [delivery] she actually lied down and went to sleep… And then she got up and started showing some heavy labor signs — doing some pretty intense stretching, moving around the yard — and maybe 10, 15 minutes later we had a calf on the ground.”

Corra’s aunt Luna, who is currently pregnant herself, stayed by Nadirah’s side throughout labor and delivery. “It was a support system for Nadirah, so she wasn’t by herself,” explains Warncke. “They’re pregnant for so long and then all of a sudden there’s this tiny baby on the ground, and it’s moving. She’s like, ‘I don’t know what’s happening!’ So they kind of come together and figure out what’s happening.”

Corra has been described as “very curious and super confident,” by Warncke. “Anything new for her, there’s no hesitancy there. She’s just really excited.”

Dr. Scott Terrell, director of animal and science operations for Disney’s Animals, Science and Environment, sees Corra’s arrival as “an opportunity for zoos as a whole to tell the elephant story to people. Elephants are endangered. The fact that it takes two years between every baby means that every baby, whether in the wild or in a zoological environment, is critical in that regard.”

Terrell is particularly proud that the Animal Kingdom now has three generations of elephants living on its savanna, echoing the family dynamic seen in the wild. He also emphasizes that “good zoos care about two things: caring for animals and caring for their counterparts in the wild. And that’s what my entire team lives by.”

The Disney Conservation Fund has contributed $125 million to conservation efforts worldwide, including the Elephants and Bees Project, which protects both species by placing bees (which elephants are afraid of) at farms in Africa that elephants might otherwise overeat from.

Corra and her family will spend several hours on the savanna most days, rotating with the other elephants in the park. The calf already responds to her name, which means “daughter” in Greek, and continues to settle in nicely with her herd.

Terrell hopes that visitors to Animal Kingdom who catch a glimpse of Corra will leave inspired. “Maybe they’ll go home and read a little bit, learn about elephants and bees, or not buy ivory, or if they’re fortunate enough, they’ll go to Africa on a safari and contribute to the local economy,” he says. “We can all make little differences in the world that will protect elephants.”

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