An endangered Asian elephant has been born at Whipsnade Zoo with the birth being called an “amazing success”, while animals will have a chance to help name the calf.
Following a 22-month gestation, the not-so-tiny infant was born to mum Donna late at night on Monday, surrounded by the other females in the herd; her own mum Kaylee, and daughter Nang Phaya, who was born in 2022.
Captured on CCTV cameras in Whipsnade’s Centre for Elephant Care, footage shows Kaylee and Nang Phaya sticking close to and supporting Donna during the birth, then crowding round to check on the newborn, with the calf getting to his feet and taking his first wobbly steps within ten minutes.
Standing at less than a metre tall and weighing 110kg, the baby boy is a vital addition to the European breeding programme for the endangered species – which in the wild are threatened by habitat fragmentation, human/wildlife conflict, and climate change.
Whipsnade Zoo’s section manager of elephants Stefan 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 our herd at Whipsnade Zoo, 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. With Asian elephants facing so many challenges in the wild, this calf represents real hope for the future of the species.”
Sadly, Asian elephants are considered by conservationists to be one of the most persecuted species in the world, facing daily threats in the wild including conflict with the communities they live alongside, as well as habitat loss and degradation. ZSL’s conservationists in Thailand use cutting-edge wildlife technology to monitor Asian elephants, and are working with local communities to reduce human/wildlife conflict, to protect these incredible animals.
Groeneveld continued: “Every birth is special, but this latest calf is made even more so as he has arrived in the same year that ZSL, the charity which runs Whipsnade Zoo, turns 200 years old. As this birth is so significant, we would love the public to help us name him.”
Elephant-lovers can donate to enter a prize draw, with the winner getting the opportunity to help pick a name from a shortlist, join the elephant team for a morning caring for the herd, and have an overnight stay in the lodges at the UK’s largest zoo.
Stefan added: “We’ve asked our conservation team in Thailand, who work daily to protect and conserve these amazing giants in the wild, to put together a shortlist of names that link to hope, the future, and legacy, to make sure that this little boy has a name that is as special as he is, and as significant as the year he was born.”
Every donation made to the naming draw will help support the care of the elephant herd at Whipsnade, and ZSL’s conservation projects around the globe to restore habitats and protect wildlife.
Visitors to the zoo will be able to spot the new calf in the Centre for Elephant Care, alongside 11,000 other animals that call the conservation zoo home. To book a ticket and support ZSL’s global elephant conservation work, visit Whipsnade Zoo | A ZSL conservation zoo. To enter the prize draw to be in with a chance of naming the calf, visit https://www.crowdfunder.co.uk/p/elephant-calf
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