At one week old and three meters tall, the little girl squatted between her mother’s legs on a plot of land in rural Bedfordshire.
After 22 months of waiting in her mother’s womb, the baby elephant began to walk within minutes of being born.
The calf is the latest resident to join Woburn Safari Park near Milton Keynes and is one of the few Asian elephants living in Britain.
Her parents, Damini, 20, and her father Raja, also 20, live on property owned by the Duke of Bedford, along with a herd of five other elephants.
At 19 stone, she is already heavier than most adults but is expected to reach a weight of 4 tons and a height of nearly 10 feet by the time she is fully grown.
The calf, who has yet to be named, has spent the first week of her life bonding with her mother and exploring her new home.
She rarely strays from her mother’s side while Damini, meaning electric, carefully walks around the infant, always keeping her close.
The elephants living in two lawns at the park spend about 16 hours a day grazing on nearby trees and logs.
The Asian elephant is native to Southeast Asia, Sri Lanka, and Indonesia. It is believed that there are between 35,000 and 40,000 Asian elephants left in the world.
Terry Shelton, elephant herd leader at the park, said: “Damini has taken to motherhood fantastically.
“She has been very comfortable, getting to know the newborn with gentle touches of the trunk while her new aunts, Chandrika and Yu-Zin, can watch the newborn take its first steps and suckled milk from Damini.”
The 15th Duke of Bedford, Andrew Russell, said: “The birth of our newborn baby elephant is a tribute to all the elephant staff and veterinarians who have been working and taking care of Damini during her 22 months of pregnancy.
“It’s been a great day for Woburn Safari Park and the ongoing conservation of these endangered animals.”
Woburn will hold a contest where visitors can choose a name for the calf. The deadline for submissions is November 7, with names to be published on November 22.
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