Chester Zoo welcomes rare arrival
A rare Asian elephant has been born at Chester Zoo – the second new arrival for the family herd in a month.
The male calf arrived to 20-year-old mum Sithami Hi Way after a 22-month gestation and a 20 minute labour.
Keepers – who stayed up late on Tuesday night to monitor the birth live on CCTV – say both mum and calf, who is yet to be named, are doing well.
The healthy new arrival was born overnight onto soft sand and was on his feet and suckling within minutes.
He has been welcomed by the rest of Chester's elephant herd, including one-month-old baby Indali Hi Way and one-year-old half-sister Nandita Hi way
Asian elephants are highly threatened in the wild and Chester Zoo conservationists are working in India to protect the species from human-wildlife conflict. The new calf is an invaluable addition to the breeding programme for the endangered species.
Andy McKenzie, team manager of elephants at Chester Zoo, said: "Two births in one month is momentous for our Hi Way family herd of Asian elephants. Elephants are hugely sociable animals, so this is an incredible boost to the group.
"Mum Sithami delivered her calf onto deep, soft sand and her instincts immediately took hold as she started to stimulate him, encouraging him to get to his feet by kicking up sand around him. The rest of the herd then excitedly gathered around and within just a few minutes they had helped him up, which was great to see."
The zoo's elephant house is open as usual.
