A male Asian Elephant calf born on July 27 at Sweden’s Kolmarden Zoo posed for his first photos when he was just two days old. He weighed 191 pounds (87 kg) at birth, and you can see from the photos that he is strong and hungry!

Photo Credits:  Sofia Andersson (2,4,7,10,11)  Rickard Sjödén (1,3,5,6,8,9)

 

The calf’s mother, Bua, was a gift to the King of Sweden from the King of Thailand in 2004.  Bua was artificially inseminated in November 2011. The calf’s father is an Elephant from the United Kingdom. 

Asian Elephants are found in fragmented populations throughout Southeast Asia, where they are listed as Endangered by the International Union for Conservation of Nature. They are slightly smaller than African Elephants, and are tamed for use in logging operations in remote jungle areas. 

See more photos of the Elephant calf below the fold.