Tierpark Berlin, 7.30 am: Like every morning, the elephant keeper team greets all animals in the elephant house on New Year’s Day morning. Only at about 8 o’clock, Mario Hammerschmidt, head elephant keeper, identifies a new member in the group: Kewa delivered a fragile elephant baby during the night of New Year’s Eve. Without any help from the veterinarians and keepers, Kewa, surrounded by her two daughters Thuza (7) and Pantha (3), delivered a healthy elephant baby. The baby is most likely a little girl and weighs approx. 100 kilos. Mother Kewa keeps nuzzling her little one with her trunk and waits patiently until her little daughter finds her way to the milk and starts drinking.
“We are very happy that even the drinking works so effortlessly. The little elephant baby is very curious and has even had its first contact with its two older siblings Thuza und Pantha,” says keeper Mario Hammerschmidt.
“What a New Year’s Day present,” says zoo and animal park director Dr. Andreas Knieriem. New Year’s Day babies are always something special, but a healthy New Year’s Day elephant baby is very rare and we are very happy! We gladly support veterinarians with such births, but it is even better if an elephant is born without the help of veterinarians and keepers, like in Kewa’s case – a great start into the new year.”
The father is Ankhor (32 years old), who was given to the Prague Zoo in August 2014.
Six African and now seven Asian elephants live at the Tierpark Berlin.
