26/11/2024
Our heart felt sympathy to the dedicated team at Blackpool Zoo
This news is extremely sad
Understanding the dedication of the keepers and the bond they have with these amazing animals plus the hard work that has been put in during every single day this news is tragic.
Please note the following discusses pregnancy loss.
You may remember that earlier this year we announced that two of our elephants, Noorjahan and Esha, were pregnant. 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 the 4th November, 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 Wednesday evening the calf started to develop seizures and continued to deteriorate, until sadly passing away on Thursday 7th November, 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.
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.”
