HOUSTON -- After 22 months of pregnancy, Shanti, a 13-year-old Asian elephant at the Houston Zoo gave birth to a baby girl Tuesday.

Representatives with the Houston Zoo said the calf was born Tuesday at 7:41 p.m. The baby is 3 feet tall and 338 pounds.

The calf is Shanti's first offspring. She has not been named yet.

Shanti and the father, Ty, bred in the summer of 2002. The average gestation period is 19 to 22 months. As the baby's due date neared, zoo employees and visitors have put themselves on "baby watch."

"There had been a pool of bets going on when it's going to be born," said Karen Gibson, the zoo's elephant manager. "But that's had to be revised a couple of times."

Shanti is one of only 300 Asian elephants in North American zoos.

Zoo officials predict that if the current mortality and birth rate continues, the endangered animals would be extinct by 2049. They told Local 2 that the birth of a healthy baby calf would be a small step in recovering the elephants' dwindling population.

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Houston Zoo: Shanti - Baby Elephant Update