Our baby elephant has a naming ceremony
Friday 16 July 2004
On Sunday 25 July, a priest from the Hare Krishna Temple in Watford and the Asian dance company, Kadam, took part in a traditional Indian ceremony to name our baby Asian elephant, Aneena
The female calf, now four months old, was born on the 16 March this year to 22 year old mother, Kaylee, who carried her baby for 21 months. At birth our new arrival weighed 149kg, but she has now grown to 200kg. She has a fluffy layer of hair all over her body and is quite a character who loves rolling around in her morning bath!
The festivities included dancers from the Kadam Asian Dance Company and a traditional Indian blessings for the elephant with chanting and burnt offerings for the elephant.
Asian elephant calf
"The birth of our Asian elephant is a great success for Whipsnade and we look forward to celebrating this with her naming ceremony," said Chris West, Zoological Director at Whipsnade Wild Animal Park.
