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Meet the endangered Asian elephant calf born at Whipsnade Zoo

Watch the baby elephant's first steps

The not so tiny thud of baby elephant feet can be heard at Whipsnade Zoo in London.

An Asian elephant calf was born earlier this week and both keepers say the mum and baby are doing well.

The calf has been identified by the keepers as female but hasn't been named yet.

She was born surrounded by the other female members of the herd at Whipsnade Zoo including her grandmother, Kaylee.

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ZSL Whipsnade Zoo

Did you know? According to WWF Asian elephants can grow to weigh an impressive 5 tonnes!

Mark Howes, Whipsnade Zoo's deputy team leader of elephants, said: "To say we're delighted by the arrival of this calf is just a huge understatement - it's a massive success for Donna, for the herd at Whipsnade Zoo, and for elephant conservation full stop.

"This little infant is a really important addition to the European-wide endangered species breeding programme for Asian elephants."

ZSL Whipsnade Zoo

Asian elephants are classed as endangered by the International Union for Conservation of Nature.

In the wild they face threats to their habitats, from poachers and from human conflicts.

We're one of the few conservation organisations working around the world to protect all three species of elephants - Asian elephants, African elephants and African forest elephants. Our herd play an active role in our conservation work, from helping us to develop new technologies to educating our visitors - every visit to see our elephants really is an act of support for their conservation.

— Mark Howes, Whipsnade Zoo's deputy team leader of elephants
ZSL Whipsnade Zoo

Mr Howes added: "We were able to watch the birth via our hidden cameras, and it was amazing to see grandmother Kaylee step in to ... move the rest of the herd out of the way to allow the little one to stand up for the first time.

"She'll grow up being nurtured and learning from her mum Donna and grandmother Kaylee, as well as her 'aunts' and 'cousins' in the herd - and we're so excited to see her personality develop as she grows."

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