Devastation at Blackpool Zoo as both pregnant Asian elephants lose their babies

There was much excitement at the zoo when it was announced in March this year that mother and daughter duo, Noorjahan and Esha, were both due to give birth to the hugely anticipated babies late this year.

The calves would have been the first to be born at Blackpool Zoo in its 52-year history and, with the Asian elephant listed as endangered and numbers declining in the wild, the news was a massive boost for all those involved in the European Ex Situ Programme (EEP) for the management of this endangered species.

The father of both babies was Emmett, the breeding male who joined the female herd in October 2019.

But today the zoo posted an announcement on its Facebook age with the desperately sad news that both babies had died.

The statement said: “We have some very sad news to share with you about these eagerly anticipated pregnancies.

“Both females were due to give birth this autumn and were being monitored carefully throughout their gestation by our dedicated keepers and the wider elephant care team.

“Sadly, Noorjahan’s calf did not develop fully and passed away in the womb. She went into labour and passed the calf naturally, in late September.

“All signs exhibited prior to this event had been encouraging but, as with any pregnancy, we knew there were many inherent risks that could lead to complications during gestation and delivery.

“In the early hours of November 4, Esha gave birth to a calf surrounded by the herd, having gone full term and initial signs were positive.

“However, it soon became apparent that the rearing of a newborn was becoming challenging for Esha and, despite guidance from her mother Noorjahan, she would not enable the calf to suckle.

“At this time a round-the-clock care schedule was established by our team.

“As part of the preparations for the births, Esha had been trained by our elephant care team to allow her milk to be expressed should it be required and Noorjahan trained for blood donation; which the plasma extracted can be used in various circumstances, as it contains vital antibodies to support the immune system.

“Newborns usually receive their first feed within 6 – 12 hours - this contains colostrum to strengthen their immune system in the early stages of life.

“The team worked extremely hard to obtain enough feed for the calf from Esha. The next challenge was safely feeding the calf without compromising the herd and the bond they had developed.

“The herd were rightly protective of the calf and it took over 24 hours for Noorjahan to realise what the care team were trying to do, and allow them to feed the calf.

“As the care team’s perseverance paid off, they were able to give the newborn a substitute feed which contained the plasma from Noorjahan and the calf responded well.

“Despite these immense efforts, on the Wednesday evening the calf started to develop seizures and continued to deteriorate, until sadly passing away on Thursday November 7, surrounded by the herd and the elephant care team.”

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

They will mourn their loss

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.”