It last happened four years ago, has been 22 months in preparation, and is already showcasing impressive ball skills.
No, it’s not the arrival of the World Cup – but the birth of an Asian elephant at Whipsnade Zoo in Bedfordshire.
The as-yet unnamed male calf, which is about 3ft tall, is the first to be born at the zoo since 2022, following a pregnancy that lasted almost two years.
He was born on Monday to mother Donna, who has been seen guarding the calf protectively as he naps – an instinctive behaviour carried over from life in the wild to zoo animals, even though there are no threats in the enclosure.
The birth was caught on CCTV, with the footage showing Donna’s mother Kaylee and her daughter Nang Phaya supporting the delivery before crowding round to check the newborn. The calf had risen to his feet and made his first wobbly steps within 10 minutes of being born.
Keepers say the elephant is “obsessed” with football, kicking around a red ball that has been put into the habitat for the animals to play with, although he is still finding his feet and often trips over the toy.
‘Hope for the future of the species’
Nang Phaya, who was born four years ago, has been “a little jealous” and has been seen giving the calf “a subtle push with her trunk every now and then”, keepers say. But they believe the pair will be “an inseparable duo” once the calf gets bigger and stronger.
Stefan Groeneveld, the zoo’s section manager of elephants, said: “The excitement we’re feeling at the arrival of this calf is almost impossible to put into words.
It’s an amazing success for Donna and our herd at Whipsnade Zoo, and mum and calf are both doing brilliantly, which is exactly what we hoped for.
“Donna has been an exceptional mother from the moment her calf arrived. With Asian elephants facing so many challenges in the wild, this calf represents real hope for the future of the species.”
The calf is an important addition to the European breeding programme of Asian elephants, which aims to keep a healthy and genetically diverse population in zoos as an insurance policy, in case the animals die out in the wild.
There are fewer than 52,000 Asian elephants left in the wild and they are listed as an endangered species on the International Union for Conservation of Nature Red List. They are considered by conservationists to be one of the most persecuted species, and are hunted for ivory and skins.
They often face conflict with local communities, and have suffered from habitat loss, living in just 15 per cent of their former environment.
The new calf arrived on the 200th anniversary year of the Zoological Society of London, which runs Whipsnade Zoo, so the team has invited the public to help pick a name for the calf in celebration.
Whipsnade is running a prize draw, with the winner being allowed to choose the name and also spend the morning caring for the herd with keepers, and have an overnight stay in one of the largest.
Mr Groeneveld added: “We’ve asked our conservation team in Thailand, who work daily to protect and conserve these amazing giants in the wild, to put together a shortlist of names that link to hope, the future, and legacy, to make sure that this little boy has a name that is as special as he is, and as significant as the year he was born.”
Every donation made to the naming draw will help support the care of the elephant herd at Whipsnade, and ZSL’s conservation projects around the globe to restore habitats and protect wildlife.