Sunday, February 17, 2008

Baby Elephant Born in Dublin Zoo

I need to visit the zoo when it warms up. One thing I have not done yet in Dublin.
Today the zoo welcomed a newborn male baby Asian elephant.

The still unnamed calf, was born to mother Yasmin at around 5.00am. Both are said to be "thriving".

The baby will be kept indoors for several weeks to allow him to bond with other members of the herd, including Asha, who became the first ever Irish-born elephant when she arrived last May.

Elephant pregnancies last 22 months and babies weigh around 80 kilos when born.

"We are absolutely delighted with the birth of our second elephant calf in the last 12 months," said the zoo director, Leo Oosterweghel.

"There is a huge sense of excitement in here and we look forward to introducing him to the public over the coming weeks."

Over 900,000 people visited Dublin Zoo last year, the highest number in its 176-year history.

1 comment:

Anonymous said...

We'll be there in spring.