ROSTOV-ON-DON, Russia (Reuters) — A zoo in Russian southern city of Rostov-on-Don welcomed a new-born elephant female calf born on Wednesday (January 18) from two 11-year-old Asian elephants Sinta and Yuma.
“An elephant calf stood up immediately (after the birth) and started eating. In about an hour it started eating. You can see now it is sleepy. This particular calf sleeps while standing up. Sitara used to sleep while laying down. It seems to be an individual feature,” a zoo keeper Alexei Titov told journalists on Friday (January 20).
It is Sinta’s second baby, her first daughter Sitara who also lives in Rostov’s zoo, has recently turned six.
Sinta and Yuma were brought to Russia from Germany in 2009.
The newly-born calf has yet to be named and is likely to be relocated to another zoo when she is old enough.
Asian elephants are listed as endangered species by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN).