A baby elephant at Whipsnade Zoo has marked the World Cup in his own way, by kicking a red ball around his pen.

The male Asian elephant calf was born at the Bedfordshire zoo on Monday, June 8, after a 22-month pregnancy. He weighed 110 kilograms and measured 1 metre tall.

He is the first Asian elephant to be born at the zoo since 2022.

Within 10 minutes of being born, the as-yet unnamed calf had risen to his feet and taken his first wobbly steps. A recording taken on June 10 shows him playing with a red ball that had been put in his pen, 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 him protectively as he naps.

According to keepers, the calf is an important addition to the European breeding program for Asian elephants. Fewer than 52,000 Asian elephants are left in the wild, and the species is listed as endangered on the International Union for Conservation of Nature Red List.

Whipsnade Zoo 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 calf arrived in the 200th anniversary year of the Zoological Society of London, which runs Whipsnade Zoo, and the team has invited the public to help pick a name for him in celebration.

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