By George Jones
This is the moment a cute baby elephant celebrates the World Cup — by "playing soccer."
The male Asian elephant calf was delivered at Whipsnade Zoo, in Bedfordshire, on Monday, June 8, weighing 110 kg (243 pounds) and measuring 1 meter (3.3 feet) tall.
He is the first Asian elephant to be born at the zoo since 2022 following a 22-month pregnancy.
But within 10 minutes of being born, the as-yet unnamed animal had risen to his feet and made his first wobbly steps.
The recording, taken on June 10, shows the soccer-obsessed elephant kicking around a red ball.
A baby elephant at Whipsnade Zoo, in Bedfordshire, likes playing with a ball. (Whipsnade Zoo via SWNS)
It had been put into the youngster's pen to play with — although he is still finding his feet and often trips over the toy.
The calf was born to mother Donna, who has been seen guarding the calf protectively as he naps.
According to keepers, the calf is an important addition to the European breeding program of Asian elephants.
It comes as there are fewer than 52,000 of them left in the wild and they are listed as an endangered species on the International Union for Conservation of Nature Red List.
He is the first Asian elephant to be born at the zoo since 2022 following a 22 month pregnancy.
Whipsnade Zoo’s section manager of elephants Stefan Groeneveld said: “The excitement we’re feeling at the arrival of this calf is almost impossible to put into words.
"It's an amazing success for Donna and our herd at Whipsnade Zoo, and mom and calf are both doing brilliantly, which is exactly what we hoped for.
"Donna has been an exceptional mother from the moment her calf arrived; she’s clearly learned from her experience raising his sister Nang Phaya, and she’ll be setting a really important example for when Phaya eventually has her own calf.
"With Asian elephants facing so many challenges in the wild, this calf represents real hope for the future of the species."
The new calf arrived on the 200th anniversary year of the Zoological Society of London, which runs Whipsnade Zoo, so the team has invited the public to help pick a name for the calf in celebration.
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