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Baby giants take their first steps at ZSL Whipsnade Zoo
Wednesday 28 March 2007
Not one, but two giant bundles of fun have been born at ZSL Whipsnade Zoo. Our Asian rhino calf was born early on New Year’s Eve 2006 to mother Behan, while an Asian elephant calf arrived late on Friday 19th January to proud mum Kaylee.
You can view a video of the babies online.
© ZSL
Both newborns are female and are already proving to be great characters. Their births have brought immense joy to ZSL Whipsnade Zoo keepers and staff who had been eagerly anticipating their births.
The Asian one-horned rhino calf can be seen with her distinctive “armour-plating” skin and she represents the first such rhino to have been born at ZSL Whipsnade Zoo for 17 years.
Commenting on the births, ZSL Senior curator John Ellis said: “We are delighted with the birth of our Asian rhino calf – the first for a number of years here. Her good progress is excellent news for ZSL Whipsnade Zoo. Also, because it is the first calf to mother Behan it represents a new bloodline and is a very important addition to the European Endangered Species Programme.”
“The safe birth of the Asian elephant calf is a tribute to the keeping staff at the elephant house, who were monitoring Kaylee’s condition constantly in the days leading up to delivery. The female calf represents another important addition to our herd of these endangered and beautiful animals.
Both babies are rare and very precious animals and their births, within just three weeks of one other, has created a pachyderm population explosion at ZSL Whipsnade Zoo!
