Baby Camel Born at Whipsnade Zoo

A fluffy camel calf has been born at Whipsnade Zoo ‪@zslwhipsnadezoo3599‬ in Bedfordshire, for the first time in eight years.

The baby, named Sally, was born to 12-year-old mum Izzy and four-year-old dad Oakley, in the early hours of April 11, after a 13-month pregnancy.

Whipsnade Camel keeper George Spooner said: “Despite their reputation for being grumpy, camels are actually very patient, nurturing parents and it’s been great for us to see first-time mum Izzy attentively caring for her newborn daughter."

George explained that the baby camel began walking, quite wobbly, within hours of being born.

“Sally has very long, gangly legs which she’s still getting to grips with. Visitors can spot her following her Mum and Dad around her vast paddock, getting to know her family,” he said,

Whipsnade Zoo’s domestic Bactrian camels act as an ambassador species for their critically endangered ‘cousins’ the wild camel (Camelus ferus) in Mongolia and China.

“There are only 950 wild camels left in the deserts of Mongolia and China today, due to hunting, water scarcity and predation by the grey wolf,” George said.

ZSL, the conservation charity behind Whipsnade Zoo, is working to protect Mongolia’s wildlife, including the Gobi Desert in the south, where it’s believed there’s only 450 wild camels.

“ZSL is closely involved in the wild camel project, working with conservation partners to contribute towards to scientific evidence which will inform a management plan for these critically endangered animals,” George said.

Baby Sally and the herd of camels can be found along the Passage Through Asia, at Whipsnade Zoo.