open image in gallery Kirby the Asian elephant is a little wobbly on her feet. The 314-pound calf was standing just six minutes after her birth (Houston Zoo) Shanti had been pregnant for 21 months.

The largest members of the herbivorous species are 12 feet tall. Populations have declined by at least 50 percent in the last three generations to just 15 percent of its historic range. Sadly, while ...