Gender reveals are pretty straightforward, right? Pink cake means girl, blue cake means boy. Human baby gender reveals are so easy, and yet, even those can go horribly awry sometimes.
Animal gender reveals only get harder, apparently. On Monday, May 20th, one Ohio zoo found themselves having to have a second gender reveal after their first one. They may have got it wrong, but this will remain one of the funniest stories the zoo will ever have:
The Toledo Zoo is on my bucket list, and now it's climbing its way up because of little Kirkja. She's so adorable, I don't even mind the confusion!
Related: Elephant Rescued From Puerto Rico Zoo Finds Her Herd After 30 Years of Isolation
Kirkja, formerly known as Kirk, was born on February 17th, 2024, on the grounds of the Toledo Zoo. They even caught footage of it, which is what got so many people interested in her journey! When she was born, zookeepers who worked closely with her were pretty certain she was a male. At birth, it can be hard to tell: though these animals weigh over 200lbs or more when they're born, their reproductive organs aren't always very clearly visible.
Kirk was growing perfectly well, and she's gaining about 5 pounds a day! With as much growth as she's going through, her body is developing. So, just a few days ago, her keepers were examining her again and they realized that she is not actually male at all: she's a girl! A name change to Kirkja and an update for her adoring fans later, things are looking great for this sweet girl!
Female Elephants Can Live in the Same Herd Forever
When they believed Kirkja to be Kirk, they were already thinking of making arrangements for her to move to another zoo/another herd. There are already enough males in their herd , and while elephants may look as sweet and docile as can be, they're territorial. Any more men in the family would cause fighting, and it might be good for genetic diversity to ship him off to another zoo, anyway!
However, while males are typically transferred to another herd (or, in the wild, ostracized) when they reach sexual maturity, females don't need to be. They can and often do stay in the same herd for their entire lives : they form strong bonds with their mothers and elephant-aunties.
Now, because of her gender re-reveal, the Toledo Zoo has decided that little Kirkja will stay with her herd for the "foreseeable future," but she's so precious I wouldn't blame them for keeping her forever. She's old enough now to be back "on display" with her mom and playing hard with her family, so if you want to check her out, now is the time!
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