Elephant calf Scott joins jumbo walkabout
Tuesday 28 February 2012
The youngest member of ZSL Whipsnade Zoo’s elephant herd put his best foot forward as he took part in his first official walkabout.
© ZSL
Pint sized pachyderm Scott joined in the elephants’ daily adventure, which includes a two and a half mile walk around the Zoo, taking in spectacular views across the Aylesbury Vale from the top of the Chiltern Downs.
The jumbo walkabout is a rite of passage for young elephants at the Zoo and saw four-month-old Scott follow in the footsteps of older siblings, George and Donna.
Assistant Curator of Elephants, Lee Sambrook, said: “Scott is doing really well, he’s very healthy. He follows his mum around on the walk and tries to run at bamboo and sticks he sees along the way. He’s quite a character.”
While the rest of the herd walk trunk to tail around the Zoo, Scott is still learning so sticks close to his mum, Azizah. The walk also includes a stop off for the group to graze and browse, and gives cheeky youngster Scott time to play and have a rest between his mum’s legs before heading home.
Lee added: “Scott usually crashes out as soon as he’s back from the walk. We put piles of hay down in the barn and he’s out for the count.”
Scott was born on October 18 after a whopping 700 day pregnancy – almost two years! The normal gestation period for an Asian elephant is 22 months.
He was also the smallest elephant ever born at the Zoo weighing in at 104kg, around 16 stone.
