Offbeat

Want to name an elephant? Dublin Zoo has just welcomed a 130kg calf

One-metre tall male Asian elephant calf is the sixth born at Dublin Zoo in last three years

Dublin Zoo welcomed a baby elephant on Monday after mother Yasmin gave birth to a 130kg calf. Photograph: Dublin Zoo
Dublin Zoo welcomed a baby elephant on Monday after mother Yasmin gave birth to a 130kg calf. Photograph: Dublin Zoo
Thu May 18 2017 - 15:17

Dublin Zoo welcomed a baby elephant on Monday after the mother, Yasmin, gave birth to a 130kg calf.

The one-metre tall male Asian elephant calf is Yasmin’s fourth baby and the sixth elephant calf born at Dublin Zoo in the last three years.

The new-born will join the herd of 10 Asian elephants, including father Upali, in the Kaziranga Forest Trail.

Members of the public have been asked to come up with a name for the calf, based on his Asian origin. Asian elephants have a lifespan of 48 years so the decision by the eventual winner will have a lasting effect.

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Gerry Creighton, operations manager at Dublin Zoo, said "each member of the herd played a role in assisting with the birth".

“The recent births are of huge significance for the future of the endangered Asian elephant,” he said.

It is estimated that only 30,000 to 60,000 of these animals exist in the wild, with the largest population found in India, according to Dublin Zoo.

Name suggestions can be submitted at DublinZoo.ie