The arrival of a baby elephant at Budapest Zoo has been captured on camera, mother Angele giving birth to her third calf weighing 80kg at 5.09am last Saturday morning. The new-born successfully stood up and began to feed. With the help of night-vision cameras, you can now see those precious first moments. Take a look!
Delighted mother Angele was born at La Palmyre Zoo in south-west France in 2001 and came to Budapest Zoo in 2010. Father Assam, is a year older, born at Chester Zoo in the UK, coming to Budapest in 2009. They have already produced two offspring, in 2013 and 2017.
Gestation lasts two years and elephants usually only give birth to a single offspring. Zoo carers assure us that Angele gently kicking the new-born is perfectly natural, as she is helping the little one to lose its foetal membrane.
Next-youngest Arun is still with its mother and behaving well around its little sibling. There will be a live log-in with the elephant family through the zoo’s Facebook page every Thursday from 11am.
As the zoo may soon reopen to visitors, the little elephant should be on view to the general public in person before too long.
Budapest Zoo
District XIV. Állatkerti körút 6-12
