Skip to content

Zoo delighted after endangered elephant gives birth

Alex PopeBedfordshire, Hertfordshire and Buckinghamshire
News imageZSL A male calf elephant, playing with a red ball, that is covered in dust and mud. Other legs of other elephants are in the image. There is straw on the ground. ZSL
The new arrival made an appearance on Monday

A zoo has expressed delight after an "exceptional mother" gave birth to an endangered Asian elephant.

Late on Monday, the patter of not so tiny feet was heard at Whipsnade Zoo, Bedfordshire, as Donna delivered the 1m (3.3ft) tall, 110kg (243lb) male calf.

The birth, which followed a 22-month gestation, was captured on CCTV.

Stefan Groeneveld, a manager at the zoo, said: "With Asian elephants facing so many challenges in the wild, this calf represents real hope for the future of the species."

News imageZSL An elephant calf, surrounded by other elephants. You can just see their legs, and one tail. The ground is dirty, with mud and straw on it. ZSL
The four-day-old calf has yet to be given a name

The zoo said the calf was "a vital addition to the European breeding programme for the endangered species – which in the wild are threatened by habitat fragmentation, human [and] wildlife conflict and climate change".

They are also considered by conservationists to be one of the most persecuted species in the world, the zoo added.

News imageZSL A close-up image of a baby elephant, with its trunk turned up. There is mud and straw on the ground. ZSL
The zoo said it was very excited by the new addition

Groeneveld said: "The excitement we're feeling at the arrival of this calf is almost impossible to put into words.

"It's an amazing success for Donna, and mum and calf are both doing brilliantly, which is exactly what we hoped for.

"Donna has been an exceptional mother from the moment her calf arrived, she's clearly learnt from her experience raising his sister, Nang Phaya, and she'll be setting a really important example for when Phaya eventually has her own calf."

News imageZSL A baby elephant, walking by another elephant, in an enclosure that has mud and straw on the floor. Its trunk is slightly raised. ZSL
The calf took his first wobbly steps 10 minutes after he was born

The zoo is running a prize draw to help pick the name for the calf from a selected shortlist, which was created by its conservation team in Thailand.

The name would be linked "to hope, the future and legacy" and the zoo would ensure his name "is as special as he is", it added.

News imageZSL An elephant calf, with legs of other elephants around it. You can just see their legs, and one tail. The ground is dirty, with mud and straw on it. ZSL
The calf was born late on Monday night, the zoo confirmed

Do you have a story suggestion for Beds, Herts or Bucks? Contact us below.

Follow Beds, Herts and Bucks news on BBC Sounds, Facebook, Instagram and X.

More on this story