'Extraordinary journey' - Blackpool Zoo celebrates first birthday of endangered elephant calf Zaiya

Blackpool Zoo is celebrating the first birthday of Zaiya, its endangered Asian elephant calf, after an extraordinary first year that has seen her receive 2,686 specialist feeds and more than 8,000 hours of personal commitment from her carers.

Zaiya was born at Blackpool Zoo on September 2, 2025, but the team quickly realised that she was unable to successfully suckle from her first-time mum, Tara. What followed was a year-long commitment involving more than 30 staff, with teams providing specialist nutritional support, round-the-clock monitoring, veterinary support, and thousands of individual feeds.

The commitment also meant staff sacrificed significant amounts of time away from their own families to ensure Zaiya received the essential care needed for her survival.

One year on, Zaiya has grown into a confident and inquisitive young elephant who has learned how to behave, communicate and navigate the world by watching the elephants around her. She does not follow the keepers who feed her — she follows the herd.

Adam Kenyon, Section Manager at Blackpool Zoo, said: “Zaiya's first weeks were among the most challenging we have faced as a team. We had to make decisions about what would give her the best chance of survival while also considering Tara, the other elephants and Zaiya’s future as a member of the herd.

“Our plan was delivered consistently with minimal disruption to the group's natural behaviour so we provided the nutrition Zaiya needed without replacing the role of her elephant family. Zaiya always wants to know where her mum is and has retained a distinctive comfort behaviour of putting her trunk into Tara’s mouth since birth.

“Her relationships with the rest of the herd are equally important. They benefit the calf and help younger or less experienced females develop maternal behaviours and Zaiya has become part of a wider social system rather than relying solely on Tara, which is wonderful to see.

“When you look at Zaiya now, one of the things that makes us most proud is that if you were a visitor and didn’t know her story, you would never know the amount of effort that has taken place over the past 12 months.”

Over the course of her first year, Zaiya has been developing her own personality, with keepers describing her as intelligent, inquisitive and highly aware. She investigates objects by rolling them around, enjoys sand bathing and chasing birds, and is keen to try whatever the adult elephants are eating.

When excited, she raises her trunk and tail, opens her ears and trumpets. She can also be seen launching into energetic bursts of movement that her keepers affectionately describe as elephant zoomies. Zaiya can often be seen snoozing while standing up, with her trunk swaying. When she does lie down for a nap, she is closely watched by either Tara or matriarch Noorjahan.

Elephant herds are highly social, with female elephants helping to care for calves that are not their own in a practice known as allomothering. Zaiya interacts with all members of the herd and recently had a very positive first meeting with her father, Emmett.

The female herd consists of Tara, Zaiya, Minbu, Noorjahan, Esha and Kate. Zaiya seeks out the second youngest of the group, Esha, for fun and playing, while she looks to Noorjahan, alongside mum Tara, for reassurance and learning.

Darren Webster, Zoo Director at Blackpool Zoo, added: “Zaiya’s first year has been an extraordinary journey and a testament to the expertise and dedication of our teams. The most important thing is that she has been able to remain a fully integrated member of the herd throughout. Everything they do relates to her. She is their world, as it absolutely should be.

“It hasn’t been easy for our teams, especially in the early days when she needed feeding every two to three hours, but their commitment has been incredible. To see Zaiya now, one year on, confident, curious and completely part of the group is something we are extremely proud of.”

Asian elephants have been listed as endangered on the IUCN Red List since 1986, with the population estimated to have declined by at least 50 percent over the last three generations. Blackpool Zoo’s elephant herd is part of an EAZA Ex-situ Programme (EEP), which serves as a crucial lifeline for ensuring the survival of endangered species.