Unexpected baby arrival! Chester zoo celebrates the birth of a newborn baby three months after the due date
Chester zoo at Upton by Chester in England was opened in 1931 covers over 125 acres being one of the largest in the UK. They were delighted to see their elephant ” Thi Hi-Way ” giving birth to a very rare elephant calf after three months from her due date. The elephant has the longest gestation period of 18 to 22 months followed by a Sperm Whale and Black Rhinoceros.
Chester zoo celebrates the birth of a newborn baby three months after the due date.
Unexpected baby elephant arrival-“This is a wonderful matriarch to our family herd and a really experienced mum. She has successfully given birth to seven calves before, but this time around circumstances was really quite astonishing. “We believed Thi had exceeded her normal gestation period, which we were monitoring closely. Her hormone levels, behavior and drop in weight gave us every indication that she may have been resorbing the calf – a natural process that some elephants experience. “However, nature always has that incredible ability to surprise you and that was certainly the case when we came in yesterday morning. The new youngster was up on his feet, suckling from mum and bonding closely with the rest of the family herd, including one-year-old calves, Indali and Aayu. It’s truly magnificent to witness.”
– MIKE JORDAN, CHESTER ZOO’S COLLECTIONS DIRECTOR
Despite the unusual circumstances, Thi, who has given to six calves, previously was able to give birth to a completely healthy baby boy, who is yet to be named.
“It’s absolutely magical to see Thi bring another new arrival into the world. These momentous events always bring the entire elephant family together and we expect to see the other young calves in the group showing a lot of interest in the little one over the coming days, weeks and months.
“Crucially, this is important news for Asian elephants more widely. The species is endangered in the wild. If we don’t act now then the unthinkable could happen. By combining our breeding programme successes with field projects in the wild, we are really making a difference for these magnificent animals.”
– TIM ROWLANDS, CURATOR OF MAMMALS
Chester zoo has contributed a lot towards these wild animals throughout the time. They had successful projects to eliminate conflicts between local communities and the nearby Asian Elephants that roam around the area.
They also have in-house scientists who are currently leading the research on the cure for a deadly disease that is threatening Asian elephants throughout the world both in zoos and the wild. With more than 150 000 pounds in total donations from the public through a major Never Forget fundraising campaign they are also leading the research on developing a vaccine to cure endotheliotropic herpesvirus, also known as EEHV.
The Chester Zoo is open for everyone.
