Elephants are known for their long memories, but they will also be known for their protracted pregnancies.
Azizah, an Asian elephant who had been carrying her calf for 700 days – 84 days more than usual – gave birth last Tuesday at ZSL Whipsnade Zoo in Bedfordshire.
It is thought to be the longest pregnancy ever recorded at the British Zoo, lasting approximately two months longer than the standard gestation length of 22 months.
And the infant is the tiniest in Whipshade’s history, weighing only 16 stone (104kg) upon delivery.
Keepers were afraid that the infant, who had yet to be named, might be unable to receive his mother’s milk due to his small stature.
Azizah’s third calf, though, quickly addressed the difficulty by learning to stand on his tiptoes.
‘Azizah took to him right immediately, and the rest of the herd is so happy to be around the youngster and touch it,’ elephant keeper Lee Sambrook said.
Elephants are sociable animals, and having children join the herd is crucial to elephant existence.’
The calf has emerged from the elephant barn with the rest of the herd.
Visitors are going to the zoo to see him interacting with his siblings and suckling his mother, who will not forget the long pregnancy easily.
