Gabi (elephant)

When the timing was right, sperm was obtained from Emmett, a bull elephant living in the Whipsnade Wild Animal Park in Bedfordshire, England, and flown to Israel on dry ice.

The project was carried out in conjunction with a team from the Reproduction Management Institute for Zoo Biology and Wildlife Research of Berlin.

[11] Physicians at the obstetrics and gynecology department of Hadassah Medical Center analyzed blood samples to monitor the pregnancy and predict the onset of labor, which they pinpointed to the day.

[10] The birth of Gabi was viewed by over 350,000 people in 108 countries via live web streaming on the zoo's website.

Right after the birth, veterinarians wrapped the newborn calf in towels and sawdust to warm him, and then handed him over to his mother, who nursed him.

[14] For several months before the move, zookeepers trained Gabi to enter and remain inside the special cage built for the sea voyage.

[11] On Sunday night, 3 October 2010, Gabi was sent by truck to the Port of Haifa, where he was joined by two other Asian elephants, a hippopotamus, zebras and several lemurs from the Ramat Gan Safari.