A baby elephant named Kirby was born at Houston Zoo.

Shanti, a 34-year-old Asian elephant, gave birth to the healthy 314lbs (143kg) female calf on November 15, after an epic 19-hour labour.

Born in the McNair Asian Elephant Habitat cow barn, Kirby stood independently within six minutes, walked after 25 minutes, and began nursing in just over an hour.

Shanti's 21-month pregnancy, one of the longest among land mammals, was closely monitored by the zoo's expert veterinary and elephant care teams.

Both mum and baby are thriving after post-natal exams and are spending several days bonding behind the scenes before their highly anticipated public debut.

Visitors to Houston Zoo directly contribute to wild elephant conservation in Asia. Admission proceeds support critical efforts such as tracking collars for endangered Bornean elephants.

This program, led by conservationist Nurzhafarina 'Farina' Othman, has been pivotal in growing elephant populations since 2007.