PORTLAND, OR (KPTV) -
Look who is expecting again.
The Oregon Zoo is anticipating the arrival of a new baby Asian elephant.
Rose Tu is pregnant for the second time. The 17-year old-mother will be expanding the zoo's elephant family, which also includes 3-year-old Samudra.
SLIDESHOW: Samudra celebrates third birthday
The father of the new baby is a 40-year-old bull elephant Tusko. He is also the father of Samudra.
Rose-Tu is expected to give birth to the little one in late 2012. The gestation period for Asian elephants is 20 to 22 months.
Mike Keele, the Director of Elephant Habitats, hopes the herd will bond around the new baby and help take care of him or her, just like they did with Samudra.
They caution that it's still early in Rose-Tu's pregnancy, and the birth of a healthy baby isn't a sure thing.
"We're hopeful for the best," says Keele. "There are complications for mother and baby. A calf may be stillborn or get lodged in the birth canal. We'll be monitoring this pregnancy very closely."
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