WHIPSNADE’S NEW ARRIVAL IS JUMBO-SIZED

Karishma arrived this month from Twycross Zoo in Leicestershire, where she was born and raised. Now aged eight, the female elephant is ready for breeding and it is hoped she will soon mate with the herd’s male elephant Emmett. This will further boost Whipsnade’s acclaimed international breeding programme for this endangered species.

Keepers say Karishma is settling in extremely well with the rest of the herd, which includes fellow females Kaylee, Azizah, Maya and Lucha and youngsters Euan and Anneena.

Photographers can take close-up pictures of Karishma welcomed by her new ele-friends in the paddock.

Notes to editors

• The elephant paddock at Whipsnade covers an area of about nine acres and comprises of five linked outside areas including a large grass paddock as well as two separate houses. Additional facilities include two pools, mud wallows and dust baths, as well as rubbing posts, shades for summer and high level feeders.

• Whipsnade now has eight elephants, one male, five females and two calves.

• Diet – hay, fruit, twigs, small branches, bark & roots

• Trunks are very muscular (having over 60,000 muscles) and are made up of the nose and upper lip.

• The tusks are modified incisor teeth and in female Asian elephants they remain small and are called tushes.

• The Asian elephants world wide population stands at between 37,000-57,000

• The most obvious difference between African and Asian elephants is the size of the ears. Asian elephants have smaller bodies and much smaller ears. The end of the trunk ends in one finger-like projection instead of two, like the African elephant. They also have 2 domes on their forehead and the end of the trunk as one finger-like projection present as opposed to two in the African.

Press Contact

Christine Drabwell
01582 871 303
christine.drabwell@zsl.org