Elephants at ZSL Whipsnade Zoo
Meet ZSL Whipsnade Zoo’s Asian elephant herd.
The nine elephants share a seven acre paddock at the Zoo, which comprises of five linked outside areas, including a large grass paddock, as well as two separate houses.
Additional facilities include three pools, mud wallows, dust baths and rubbing posts and high feeders.
Emmett is the herd’s only adult male and he is also father to Donna born in July 2009, George born in April 2010 and latest arrival Scott born in 2011.
Come see the elephants
The cheapest way for your family to come and visit the elephants is by booking your tickets in advance online.
Conservation
There are thought to be just 1,500 Asian elephants remaining in the wild, with only 30,000 to 35,000 left in total.
ZSL is working to protect elephants in the forest areas of Thailand, attempting to understand and alleviate the human-elephant conflict, which has been aggravated by the loss of the elephant’s natural habitat.
Newest arrival
Meet our newest calf
The pint-sized pachyderm, was born just after midnight on 18 October 2011. Azizah's third calf is the smallest elephant baby ever born at Whipsnade, weighing just 16 stone. Adult elephants can weigh over 800st.
Watch the video of the baby with the rest of the herd just two days after being born:
Meet the keeper
Meet Rob Conachie one of our elephant handlers talking about working with Elephants at ZSL Whipsnade Zoo and his special friendship with Karishma.
Adopt Karishma
Treat a friend, maybe your mum, by adopting new mum Karishma.
They get a free e-ticket to visit mother and baby and you get a warm feeling inside, knowing that you have helped ZSL to continue to conserve endangered animals, including Asian elephants, and their habitats around the world.
Elephant facts
Asian elephant - Elephas maximus
Amazingly, Asian elephants are more closely related to the extinct woolly mammoth than to the African elephant.
The elephant’s tusks are elongated teeth (upper incisors) and tend to be smaller in Asian bull elephants than in the African.
The four grinding teeth (molars) wear out and are replaced by new teeth from the back of the jaws; the elephant gets through six sets of teeth during its lifetime.
Where they live
India, Sri Lanka, Malaysia, Indonesia and Southern China
Habitat
Mountains and forest
What they eat
Vegetation, fruit, twigs, small branches, bark and roots
IUCN status
Endangered
