The Fort Worth Zoo’s elephant family has grown by one thanks to the birth of a male Asian elephant calf on Oct. 21.

Brazos, named after the 1,280-mile river that flows into the Gulf of Mexico, is the fourth calf born at the zoo since the elephant breeding program began in 1986. His mother, Bluebonnet, was born in 1998, while his aunt Belle and half-brother Bowie were born in 2013.

Mimicking family structures in the wild, three generations of elephants, including four males and four females, call Fort Worth home. That’s a rarity among American zoos, according to Ramona Bass, the chair of the zoo’s board of directors.

“We are proud of our success with three births in the last eight years,” Bass said. “I feel it shows our elephants are content and healthy … Our zoo believes in the conservation and management of breeding elephants for the future survival of the species, and it’s nothing less than that.”

Still trotting around on wobbly legs, Brazos made his public debut on Tuesday to squeals of delight from families gathered at the zoo’s revamped Elephant Springs habitat, which opened in April. He stayed near his mother’s side as he explored the outskirts of a 400,000-gallon pool and picked up grass with his trunk.

Keepers had 22 months to prepare for Brazos’ arrival, which was 22-year-old Bluebonnet’s second pregnancy. Christine Del Turco, the zoo’s lead elephant trainer, said Bluebonnet had an easier birth experience than with her first-born, Bowie.

“Watching (Brazos) mimic Mom and learning from Mom has been really awesome to see,” Del Turco said. “We just take it nice and slow at first, and make sure that he likes people so that we can do things that we need to with him in the future, like medical procedures. Of course, mani-pedis will be in order.”

Brazos will be outside for public viewing for limited hours during the next several weeks as he bonds with his mother and becomes accustomed to crowds. Pending cold weather or rainy days, the baby elephant will be on display from approximately 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. every day.

Zoo staff are still learning about Brazos’ personality, but Bass said he is like his brother Bowie: rambunctious and naughty. His birth should be a moment of celebration in keeping the endangered Asian elephant species alive, Bass said.

“Ninety-nine elephants are killed a day in the wild, and you have an average of four births in America a year,” she said. “The numbers don’t add up … We’ll be lucky if our grandchildren can see an elephant in the wild. So if we’re going to want our children to see elephants, we have to conserve and save the species.”