Blackpool Zoo celebrates first birthday of hand-reared Asian elephant calf Zaiya

Zaiya, an endangered Asian elephant calf born at Blackpool Zoo on 2 September 2025, has reached her first birthday after receiving intensive specialist care from over 30 staff members when she was unable to nurse from her mother. The calf has thrived and is now a confident, fully integrated member of the herd, receiving support from her mother Tara, matriarch Noorjahan, and other females in a natural social structure.