STATE : 3rd Year of Elephant Pregnancy

An elephant entering her third year of pregnancy apparently has set a world’s record for a pachyderm gestation, but doubts are growing about the health of the 200-pound fetus, anxious zookeepers said today.

Jean, a 19-year-old Asian elephant at the San Diego Wild Animal Park, was due to give birth to her first calf in August, after what would have been a normal 22-month pregnancy, said park spokesman Tom Hanscom.

Nearly 60 days later, the 2 1/2-ton pachyderm is showing no signs of labor and park officials have little hope of a healthy birth, Hanscom said. “At this point, we doubt there is a live fetus.”