A baby elephant has made an early holiday appearance at a UK wildlife reserve, bringing joy just before Christmas.
The calf, still awaiting a name, is the first offspring of Uzuri, a new mother, and the resident bull, Coco.
The keepers at Howletts Wild Animal Park in Canterbury, Kent, were greeted with the surprise of the newborn when they arrived for work on Monday morning.
Elephant keeper Natalie Boyd shared that they had been watching the elephant house via CCTV and noticed Uzuri going into labor around 3 a.m. “She went outside to give birth, and by 6 a.m., the calf had arrived,” Boyd said.
Both mother and baby are doing well, and the whole herd, particularly Uzuri’s mother Tammi, has been doting on the newborn.
The park’s animal director Adrian Harland, expressed excitement about the new arrival: “It’s a fantastic way to kick off December.
We’ve all been eagerly awaiting this moment, and the entire team is thrilled to welcome the little one.
He’s already making himself home and is warmly greeted by the herd, who seem even more enthusiastic than the keepers.”
Like the calf, African elephants have a gestation period of around 22 months. Calves stay close to their mothers, consuming about three gallons of milk daily for the first two years, though they sometimes continue nursing longer.
Howletts Wild Animal Park, home to the UK’s largest herd of African elephants, now has 13 elephants with the new addition. This calf marks the 24th elephant born at the park since its opening in 1975.
African elephants are listed as vulnerable on the IUCN Red List of Endangered Species. These impressive animals can reach up to 11 feet in height and weigh over six tonnes.
In the wild, they live in herds of related females, led by the oldest, while males typically leave at puberty to form bachelor groups.
In addition to its elephant herd, Howletts is dedicated to breeding rare and endangered species, including black rhinos, western lowland gorillas, and clouded leopards.
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