Blackpool Zoo Blackpool Zoo News 2025

[Embu]

The calf is still not nursing from Tara and bottle-fed, which sadly mean that the prognosis for her survival is poor…

Even though this is a concern the post did state that they were able to express milk from Tara initially so hopefully they will be able to do so again.
Clearly a worrying time however at least the video shows Tara with the calf and she hasn't rejected it.

 

[Rosie183]

Chester zoo raised a calf where its mother rejected it so it’s possible that even if the calf is bottle fed it can still be apart of the elephant herd..l doubt very much they would reopen the elephant house tomorow and announce this unless they were happy with the calf’s progress and want to share it with visitors…

 

[Jedd Cullinan]

Historic moment as endangered elephant calf is born b

We are absolutely thrilled to announce that Tara gave birth to a healthy female calf at 10:30pm on Tuesday, 2nd

September. The team has named her Zaiya, which is of Burmese origin and means strength.

After years of strategic planning, preparations had been made in order to carefully manage and mitigate challenges that may arise during pregnancy, birth and the postnatal care surrounding such a rare event. This knowledge, along with the close positive relationships the team have with the herd, meant that when the baby was born and had difficulty suckling, they were able to act quickly.

They provided vital support for the first-time mum, expressing milk from her to ensure the calf received the necessary colostrum that is essential to provide antibodies that are rich in nutrition to help to protect newborns. Since the birth, the keepers have provided 24-hour monitoring and support and will continue to do so in the coming months.

The indoor house has been closed to allow privacy to the herd, enabling them to develop crucial bonds with its newest member. It is set to gradually reopen from Saturday, 27th September, between 11.30am and 2.30 pm.

That is wonderful news about the first ever elephant calf to be born at Blackpool Zoo

 

[Ryley]

I visited today and the calf is doing well! She follows mum and her aunts Noorjahan and Esha very well, she knows when she wants to feed and will call out for the keepers attention. She has her own small area under the public walkway where staff will feed her.
She is quite small and maybe that has something to do with not feeding from Tara, hopefully that will change with time.

 

[Pertinax]

[QUOTE="Ryley, post: 1655934, member: ]
She is quite small and maybe that has something to do with not feeding from Tara, hopefully that will change with time.
[/QUOTE]

Glad to hear she is doing okay but she really needs to feed from her mother. I also thought she looked very small from the photos so maybe she could not reach. I hope they can resolve this issue as the longer it goes on the less likely she will learn. But it's good that she wasn't rejected.

 

[catfan]

I visited today and the calf is doing well! She follows mum and her aunts Noorjahan and Esha very well, she knows when she wants to feed and will call out for the keepers attention. She has her own small area under the public walkway where staff will feed her.
She is quite small and maybe that has something to do with not feeding from Tara, hopefully that will change with time.

Am hoping to visit tomorrow, got the members email this morning but was too late with work to do anything about it. She looks very small am guessing she can't reach mum to feed. Well done on your instinct I think you suspected first

 

[Rosie183]

But she maybe just taking milk from keeper but it’s been expressed from her mother! Would love if you could find
Out?

 

[Yassa]

It‘s highly unlikely that the keepers can get the amount of milk she needs. The calf is way more efficient stimulating the tits. I am not aware that keepers were ever able to get significant amount of milk from a female elephant for weeks or even months. They may be able to express a litre or so per day, but that is not much for a calf who needs 6-10 litres a day. So the vast majority of the nutrition most likely comes from formula, and that is a huge problem…I really wish this little baby will survive, but the odds are against her.

 

[Sand Cat]

It‘s highly unlikely that the keepers can get the amount of milk she needs. The calf is way more efficient stimulating the tits. I am not aware that keepers were ever able to get significant amount of milk from a female elephant for weeks or even months. They may be able to express a litre or so per day, but that is not much for a calf who needs 6-10 litres a day. So the vast majority of the nutrition most likely comes from formula, and that is a huge problem…I really wish this little baby will survive, but the odds are against her.

Do you have to be quite so negative? I get that its better to be cautious in cases like this, but the zoo staff are clearly going above and beyond to keep the little one well fed and healthy so there is every reason for cautious optimism. Let's just see how things pan out and hope for the best. The fact that the elephant house is re-opening tomorrow, albeit initially on a limited basis, surely bodes well.

 

[Embu]

@Yassa I'm sorry how this sounds but seriously if you don't have anything positive about this birth then please don't post. Yes we are ALL aware of the risks that could still happen but that's twice today you have posted negative comments about the survival odds!
Obviously if the calf is being bottle fed then it's not an ideal situation and yes we know she's still at risk but please don't keep reminding us. Yes it's going to be touch and go for the next few weeks but can we just keep looking positive please.

 

[Ryley]

She’s made it this far, much further than the two last year, I have hope

 

[Yassa]

@Yassa I'm sorry how this sounds but seriously if you don't have anything positive about this birth then please don't post. Yes we are ALL aware of the risks that could still happen but that's twice today you have posted negative comments about the survival odds!
Obviously if the calf is being bottle fed then it's not an ideal situation and yes we know she's still at risk but please don't keep reminding us. Yes it's going to be touch and go for the next few weeks but can we just keep looking positive please.

There is no obligation whatsoever for Zoochat members to only post positive things, and I see no reason to not articulate my concerns. Especially since I feel that the statements of the zoo downplay the risks to a degree that I can seriously not understand at ALL. It‘s going to be touch and go for the next YEARS (not weeks), and no amount of care and effort of the Zoo staff is going to change that - unless the calf starts to nurse from mom.

By the way, I do have a lot of positive things to say about this birth. It‘s great that Tara ist still able to reproduce despite the long break since her last pregnancy, and this calf provides a cruicial opportunity for learning for the whole herd, especially Esha and Tara. The next calves to be born in Blackpool will benefit tremendously from the experience the females gain from Zaiya and will have a much better shot at survival, even if Zaiya does not.

 

[Embu]

@Yassa absolutely! You have every right to your opinion and I am not condoning your concerns the FIRST TIME, my gripe was that it was repeated and we are all well aware the risks(we don't need to keep being reminded of them)

You may well be correct in that Zaiya may not survive(obviously you like the rest of us want to see her survive & thrive) but let's just enjoy the moment for what it is currently, a first successful calf for Tara, a first successful calf for Blackpool and a huge success story for Asian elephants.

 

[Yassa]

I did not just repeat my ‚negativity‘, but participated in an ongoing discussion with new aspects. That is not just repeating negativity and totally within my rights here, even if it‘s not what you want to hear.

And no, I don‘t think everyone here is aware of the risk, no thanks to the enthusiastic press release of the zoo which hardly mentions the problem.

 

[Steve Robinson]

I did not just repeat my ‚negativity‘, but participated in an ongoing discussion with new aspects. That is not just repeating negativity and totally within my rights here, even if it‘s not what you want to hear.

And no, I don‘t think everyone here is aware of the risk, no thanks to the enthusiastic press release of the zoo which hardly mentions the problem.

I would not normally post on this as I don't want to see this great event spawn a fight on ZC.

However, I do have an above normal interest in Blackpool zoo and it's elephants particularly.

A mate of mine worked on the earlier eles there during his time in the UK [Also at Whipsnade].

Thanks to that contact my wife and I were afforded extraordinary courtesy by Blackpool staff when we visited in the latter stages of the new facility's construction. They were all enthusiastic, very professional and knowledgeable, and totally transparent about their plans. We learnt a lot from them.

They will be under no illusions about this little one's chance of surviving and thriving - either short term or longer and they will give above and beyond to give little Zaiya as good a chance as she will get anywhere in the world.

I fully understand that UK Zoochatters are over the moon about this birth but I also fully understand Yassa's efforts to balance the euphoria with some facts. Those facts aren't "negativity" - they are reality.

So please everybody, enjoy this news right now but don't shoot the messenger of what may be yet to come.

 

[Pertinax]

I would not normally post on this as I don't want to see this great event spawn a fight on ZC.

However, I do have an above normal interest in Blackpool zoo and it's elephants particularly.

A mate of mine worked on the earlier eles there during his time in the UK [Also at Whipsnade].

Thanks to that contact my wife and I were afforded extraordinary courtesy by Blackpool staff when we visited in the latter stages of the new facility's construction. They were all enthusiastic, very professional and knowledgeable, and totally transparent about their plans. We learnt a lot from them.

They will be under no illusions about this little one's chance of surviving and thriving - either short term or longer and they will give above and beyond to give little Zaiya as good a chance as she will get anywhere in the world.

I fully understand that UK Zoochatters are over the moon about this birth but I also fully understand Yassa's efforts to balance the euphoria with some facts. Those facts aren't "negativity" - they are reality.

So please everybody, enjoy this news right now but don't shoot the messenger of what may be yet to come.

I have to say I also support Yassa's comments fully. They are realistic, not negative.

 

[Pertinax]

Having seen more videos and read a number of comments on their FB page about the elephant calf, amid the general excitement over the birth, several people point out its unusually small size. It is very small and it may have been a little premature perhaps (?). Consequently that may be the simple reason it can't suckle normally, if it can't reach the teats. Most people who comment however seem completely unaware it is being bottle fed. I hope perhaps the situation will change but only time will tell.

 

[wunderswift]

several people point out its small size. It is very small and it may have been a little premature (?). Consequently its small size may be the reason it can't suckle normally, if it can't reach.

When I first saw her this was my impression. I'd seen on the blog post she was being bottle fed and seeing her in person just made me think she couldn't reach. Hopefully everything goes well and eventually she will be able to feed from Tara as she is incredibly cute but I definitely feel a little worried just based on her size and the fact she can't suckle

 

[catfan]

Having seen more videos and read a number of comments on their FB page about the elephant calf, amid the general excitement over the birth, several people point out its unusually small size. It is very small and it may have been a little premature perhaps (?). Consequently that may be the simple reason it can't suckle normally, if it can't reach the teats. Most people who comment however seem completely unaware it is being bottle fed. I hope perhaps the situation will change but only time will tell.

I asked a keeper whether she was trying to suckle from mum if/when Tara lay down to sleep and he said she isn't

 

[Ryley]

I was told Zaiya has tried to suckle but because of Tara’s inexperience of nursing babies, Tara is struggling. She panics when Zaiya isn’t in her sight (excluding when she’s feeding from the hay net). Other than the feeding issue, Tara is a really good mum, Noorjahan has been a great support.
As of a few days ago, Zaiya weighs 88kg.