New baby Royal Elephant

Here comes a Royal Elephant

A happy news indeed!

Last week on the night of 16 March 2020, a baby male elephant was born in Kolmården Zoo

Back in 2004, His Majesty the late King Bhumibol Adulyadej presented two female elephants, Bua and Sao Noi, to His Majesty King Carl XVI Gustaf of Sweden. Since then, Kolmården Zoo has been home to Bua snd Sao Noi. The King and Queen of Sweden were also present at the zoo when the two elephant arrived in their new home for the first time and the Royal couple have made regularly visits to Bua and Saonoi afterwards Later on, there was a cooperation between Kolmården and Copenhagen zoo in breeding “Bua” (female) and “Tonsak” (male). Tonsak is also a gift from His Majesty the late King Bhumibol Adulyadej and Her Majesty Queen Sirikit to Her Majesty Queen Margrethe II of Denmark during Her Majesty’s State Visit to Thailand. On 27 July 2013, Bua gave birth to a new baby elephant (male) whose name is”Nam Sai” which means “clear water” in Thai. In 2015, Copenhagen Zoo decided to move Tonsak to Kolmården for the purpose of a breeding programme. In 2017, it marked another important year to the Royal Elephant family. Three-year-old Nam Sai had contracted the elephant endotheliotropic herpes virus and was seriously ill. It is known that only a few of those elephants that have been treated from EEHV could survive. Fortunately, Nam Sai had miraculously recovered. On the same year, Bua gave birth to another baby elephant but unfortunately the calf died later on.

On the night of 16 March 2020, after 21 months of pregnancy, Bua gave birth to a 90 kilos newborn baby elephant. As both Bua and Tonsak were presented to the King of Sweden and the Queen of Denmark respectively, the newborn baby elephant is an addition to the Royal Elephant family that represents the close and special ties between Thailand and Sweden and Denmark. Kolmården has reported this good news to the Swedish Palace and the King of Sweden has written to the zoo that he is very happy about this good news during these stressful days and that His Majesty and other family member look forward to visiting the baby elephant as soon as possible.

Join us in welcoming the Baby Elephant!

Photo credit / Kolmården djurpark