A pregnant elephant at the Biblical Zoo in Jerusalem got a good report yesterday after undergoing an ultrasound to check on her five-month-old fetus.

Tamar, an Asian elephant, underwent an ultrasound examination by a team of German specialists, who found her in good shape in her fifth month of a 22-month gestation period.

Tamar was artificially inseminated from an elephant named Emett in Whipsnade Wild Animal Park in England.

The Jerusalem zoo currently has four female and one male Asian elephants. The female elephants - Susan, Avigail, Michaela and Tamar - came from Lampang in Thailand. The male, Teddy, is from the combined African Park and zoo in Ramat Gan, also known as "Safari."

The Jerusalem zoo uses a method of handling the pachyderms called the "free contact method," which involves direct contact between the keepers and the animals.

The staff at the elephant house include two professional mahouts (elephant keepers) from Thailand, and an Israeli.

Haaretz Staff and Agencies