Two pregnant Asian elephants at Blackpool Zoo have sadly lost their babies this autumn, said staff.
Heartbroken workers at the zoo said one baby died in the womb while another died earlier this month after its mother could not feed it.
The elephants, mother and daughter duo Noorjahan and Esha, have lived at the zoo since 2018 when they moved from Twycross Zoo in Leicestershire.
Staff were ecstatic earlier this year when they announced the elephants were pregnant as part of its project to save and breed the endangered Asian Elephant. But in a statement issued today, the zoo announced both females had given birth this autumn, however their babies did not survive.
Noorjahan’s calf did not develop fully and passed away in the womb, which was only discovered when she went into labour and delivered the calf naturally in September.
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Noorjahan and Esha have both lost their babies(Image: Blackpool Zoo / SWNS)
Staff said Esha gave birth in the early hours of November 4, surrounded by the herd, having gone full term. But it soon emerged the rearing of a newborn was becoming challenging for Esha and she would not enable the calf to suckle.
The protective herd then refused to let zookeepers near the calf for 24 hours. A round-the-clock care schedule was established and staff managed to obtain enough feed for the calf from Esha and pasma from Noorjahan.
But a couple of days after being born, the calf started to develop seizures and continued to deteriorate before it died November 7, the statement said. A postmortem confirmed that the calf had developed an infection after missing the vital nutrients and vitamins that were needed from the colostrum in its early hours.
The pack of elephants at the zoo are said to be in mourning(Image: Blackpool Zoo / SWNS)
Adam Kenyon, from the zoo, said: “As elephants are extremely intelligent animals and will mourn the loss, we are continuing to monitor them all closely. The relationships developed between our elephant care team and the elephants themselves are truly extraordinary.
“Without this level of dedication and commitment, we would not be able to provide the optimal levels of care we strive for at Blackpool Zoo. We are immensely grateful to the team, knowing that we did everything possible to try to save the calf, and wish to thank them for their huge efforts.
“We hope that everyone will respect our team during this difficult time.” Asian elephants have been listed as endangered since 1986 and the population is estimated to have declined by at least 50 percent over the last three generations.
Blackpool Zoo has launched a Project Elephant, which focuses on the long-term management, breeding and welfare needs of its elephants. And it recently launched its largest ever single investment, combining the UK’s largest indoor elephant house with several outdoor habitats to support the complicated needs of Asian elephants at the zoo.
