Blackpool Zoo announces loss of two 'eagerly awaited' elephant calves

Keepers at a zoo are mourning the "devastating" loss of two "eagerly anticipated" baby elephants.

Blackpool Zoo announced that two of the herd, Noorjahan and Esha, were pregnant at the beginning of 2023 and were both due to give birth this autumn.

But conservationists have now revealed that one of the calves died in its mother's womb and the other calf passed away after contracting an infection from missing vital nutrients in its first hours of life.

"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," said Adam Kenyon, head of the zoo's elephant section.

Noorjahan’s calf did not develop fully and passed away in the womb in September, the zoo said, despite positive signs during the elephant's pregnancy.

They added that, as with any pregnancy, they knew that there were many "inherent risks" that could lead to complications during gestation and delivery.

Just a few months later, on 4 November, the second elephant, Esha, gave birth to a calf surrounded by the herd, but zoo staff say that it soon became apparent that the rearing of the newborn was challenging for her.

Calves need their first feed within six to 12 hours of birth but zookeepers had to wait 24 hours until the herd allowed them to feed Esha's calf with expressed milk and plasma from the elephant's mother Noorjahan.

Staff say that at first it seemed that their efforts were paying off, however they say the calf started to develop seizures and continued to deteriorate, until it passed away surrounded by the herd and the elephant care team.

A postmortem confirmed that the baby had developed an infection after missing the vital nutrients and vitamins that were needed from the colostrum in those early hours of life.

Adam Kenyon, Elephant Section Head 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.

"Despite the sadness we all feel at present, the natural and complex behaviours of the individual elephants, observed throughout these devastating events, have shown that there is a bright future ahead for the herd and we will continue to support both their needs and the future of this incredible species.”

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