A baby Asian elephant born a month ago has been named “Nang Phaya,” a Thai word meaning “queen” or “strong, female monarch,” in tribute to the late Queen Elizabeth II.
The Queen had a special connection to the calf’s mother, Donna, after feeding her a banana and shaking her trunk during a visit to ZSL Whipsnade Zoo in 2017. A photo of that moment was even featured on the Queen’s official Christmas card that year.
Nang Phaya, who weighed 152 kilograms at birth, was named in honor of the Queen following her passing on September 8.
Saravanee Namsupak, ZSL’s elephant project officer, expressed excitement over choosing a meaningful name for the elephant calf, reflecting her future as a matriarch of the Whipsnade herd and the broader conservation efforts for endangered Asian elephants in Thailand.
“Naming her Nang Phaya seemed like the perfect way to honor both HM The Queen and Donna’s connection with her,” Namsupak said.
“It also symbolically links her to the endangered Asian elephants we work to protect in Thailand, where habitat destruction continues to threaten their survival.”
The birth of Nang Phaya on August 22 is a significant addition to the Asian elephant breeding program, which focuses on conserving endangered species.
Stefan Groeneveld, the elephant team leader at ZSL Whipsnade Zoo, described the calf as a lively addition to the herd, full of energy and showing early signs of leadership.
“She’s a natural leader in the making,” Groeneveld noted. “She’s playful and adventurous, always exploring her surroundings while her mom, Donna, grandma Kaylee, and the rest of the herd try to keep up. She’s also starting to use her trunk, experimenting with picking up twigs, although she hasn’t quite mastered it yet.”
Nang Phaya’s birth brings hope for the conservation of Asian elephants, a species increasingly under threat due to habitat loss and human-elephant conflicts.