BEIJING, March 9 (Xinhuanet) -- Veterinarians at the Elephant Hospital at the Thai Elephant Conservation Centre in the northern Thai town of Lampang announced Thursday an artificially inseminated elephant has given birth to a 220-pound male calf, said Sitthidej Mahasawangkul, head of the hospital.

A female elephant stands next to its one-day-old baby at the Thai Elephant Conservation Center in Lampang province, northern Thailand, March 8, 2007. (Xinhua/AFP Photo) Photo Gallery>>>

    The birth was a first in Asia and could be an important step in conserving the endangered species.

    Sitthidej said the calf was healthy and could walk immediately, and the mother was also doing well.

    "This is the first time that artificial insemination is successfully carried out in Thailand and in Asia," he said. "We hope that this will help increase the elephant population in Thailand which have been declining for the past several decades."

    An Asian elephant impregnated through a similar method by German veterinarians gave birth in Israel in December to what was the 11th Asian elephant to be born using this method, according to Israeli news reports at the time.

    Asian elephants are an endangered species, with only between 34,000 to 54,000 believed to be alive in the wild, according to scientists.

    Sittidej said Thai veterinarians were attempting to develop a technique that would enable them to artificially inseminate elephants using frozen sperm which lasts for 20 years. That would give them greater flexibility in their efforts to increase the population of Asian elephants, he said.

    But Sittidej's work has come under fire from some Thai conservationists who say artificial insemination is invasive and unnecessary.

    They contend Thailand has plenty of male elephants to ensure a healthy population and that efforts would be better directed toward protecting their shrinking habitat in the country and elsewhere in Asia.

    "If we could take good care of the elephants, they can reproduce naturally," said Soraida Salwala, founder of Friends of the Asian Elephant which also runs an elephant hospital in Lampang. "It seems what they are doing here is trying to introduce themselves to the public and saying come on and buy our products."

    (Agencies)