Chester Zoo celebrates rare baby elephant arrival - three months after due date

Chester Zoo has celebrated the 'astonishing birth' of a rare elephant calf.The boy was born overnight on Thursday - three months after his mother Thi Hi Way's due date.

Keepers and scientists at the zoo believed that Thi had started a natural resorption process after hormone tracking showed that the mum of six previous calves was due to give birth three months prior, and she was slowly returning to her normal weight.

Despite the unusual circumstances, Thi, who is already a great-grand-mother, gave birth to a healthy baby boy and keepers at the zoo say both mum and calf, who is yet to be named, are doing very well.

Mike Jordan, Chester Zoo's Collections Director, said:

Tim Rowlands, Curator of Mammals at the zoo, added:

Conservationists from Chester Zoo have been operating in India over twelve years, one of the major projects has successfully eliminated conflict between local communities and the nearby Asian elephant population.

Meanwhile, scientists at the zoo are leading the global fight to find a cure for a deadly disease which is threatening Asian elephants globally, in zoos and the wild.

There is currently no cure for elephant endotheliotropic herpesvirus, also known as EEHV, but Chester Zoo researchers are leading the fight to produce a vaccine, thanks in part to more than £150,000 in donations from the public as part of a major Never Forget fundraising campaign.

Chester Zoo’s elephant house is open as normal.