A thee-day-old Asian elephant is dwarfed by his mother as they play in their grassy paddock.
The baby elephant remained close to his mother’s legs as they were pictured happily wandering around their seven-acre paddock at ZSL Whipsnade Zoo in Dunstable, Bedfordshire.
The male calf was born to fourth-time mother Azizah on Tuesday morning – weighing in at around 290lbs.
The male calf was born to fourth-time mother Azizah on Tuesday morning – weighing in at around 290lbs
Asian elephants grow to between seven and 12-feet and can live in captivity for up to 80 years
Other members of the herd of ten elephants were nearby as Azizah went into labour.
‘We have a great track record with the elephant breeding programme here, but seeing a baby born with all his aunties and uncles around in such a natural environment was an incredible privilege.
‘Elephants are such social animals and you could see that the rest of the herd’s presence was just what Azizah needed to stay calm and do what she needed to do.
‘The team of vets and keepers were standing by and monitoring her development, but it was so fantastic that the birth happened naturally, and with the herd’s help, rather than ours.’
Asian elephants grow to between seven and 12-feet and can live in captivity for up to 80 years.
They have much smaller ears than their African cousins and can weigh up to 11,000lb when fully grown.
Azizah holds the record for the longest ever recorded pregnancy at a British zoo after she carried her baby for 700 days – 84 longer than the average – in 2011
Mr Sambrook added: ‘The new-born is already a herd favourite and visitors can see him out and about with his big brothers and sisters in the paddock.’
The newborn elephant is yet to be named.