Jealous Jumbo

Zookeeper James Edwards reveals how a young elephant’s trunk is firmly put out of joint by the arrival of a new baby

- Paula Lockey

Asian elephant Sundara has been pregnant for nearly two years – 22 months to be exact – so it’s no wonder she’s getting irritable. And, as we see in C4’s series The Secret Life of the Zoo, another member of the herd is not helping matters...

Twelve-year-old Sundara is part of an extended family of elephants at Chester Zoo called the Hi Ways. It’s led by Thi, the strongest female, as is usual in elephant society, and the baby of the family is Thi’s daughter and Sundara’s half-sister, 18-month-old Nandita, who’s proving to be quite a handful.

‘Nandita is a bundle of energy and usually the one causing all the trouble,’ says keeper James Edwards. ‘I’ve seen her step on Thi’s trunk to try to get food and push her around. She thinks she’s the boss – she’s the little princess of the herd!’