Zoo Aquarium Madrid has welcomed the birth of a Sumatran Asian elephant (Elephas maximus sumatranus), a subspecies listed as Critically Endangered on the IUCN Red List. The zoo is home to the only Sumatran elephants in Europe, managed within the European Endangered Species Programme (EEP) coordinated by EAZA.
The calf was born on 6 August following a remarkably quick labour lasting just twenty minutes. Throughout the birth, the three other females in the herd surrounded mother Cynthia and her newborn with their trunks while producing the characteristic social vocalisations typical of elephant family groups.
Just thirty minutes after birth, the calf was already standing and taking its first unsteady steps. The newborn is a male, weighing approximately 80 to 90 kilograms, and is being closely cared for by his experienced mother.
«Over the past few weeks, we had already observed several signs that the birth was approaching. Cynthia had passed 21 months of gestation, and hormone analyses carried out on urine samples confirmed that labour was imminent. The calf is a male weighing approximately 80–90 kilograms, and he is active and strong. Cynthia is proving to be an excellent mother, and the behaviour of the family group has been exemplary, although we will continue to monitor both mother and calf closely over the coming weeks,» said veterinarian Eva Martínez.
The birth is an important milestone for the European conservation programme for this highly threatened subspecies. According to the IUCN, around 52,000 Asian elephants remain worldwide, but the Sumatran elephant is the most endangered of the three recognised subspecies, having lost nearly 69% of its habitat over the past three decades due to deforestation, agricultural expansion and the fragmentation of Indonesia’s tropical forests. The same pressures also threaten other iconic Sumatran species, including the orangutan, tiger and rhinoceros.
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