Dublin Zoo is celebrating its latest new arrival after Asian elephant Yasmin gave birth to a healthy bull calf.
The calf, which is an estimated 1.2m tall and weighs in at around 80kg, was born on Thursday 17 July after a 22 month gestation period.
The new, and as of yet unnamed, arrival will join the rest of the herd - Bernhardine, Anak, Asha, mum Yasmin and dad Upali - in the Kaziranga Forest Trail at Dublin Zoo.
Paul O'Donoghue, assistant director at Dublin Zoo said, "We are absolutely thrilled with the new arrival. The calf was born within three minutes and after eight minutes he was up and taking his first steps, watched closely by his mum Yasmin and the rest of the females in the herd.
"Yasmin is an experienced mother and is bonding well with the calf, which is very strong and suckling well. He has been given a warm welcome by the rest of the herd who are being very protective.
"This male is a significant birth because he will play an important role in the conservation of Asian elephants", Paul added.
The newborn is Yasmin's third calf and a significant success for Dublin Zoo as part of the international breeding programme established to assist the survival of the Asian elephant.
It is estimated that only 30,000 to 60,000 Asian elephants exist in the wild, with the largest population found in India.
