Baby Elephant Named ‘Queen’ At UK’s Largest Zoo

A baby Asian elephant has been named the Thai word for ‘Queen’ at the UK’s largest Zoo, in honour of ‪@ZslOrg1826‬ ZSL Whipsnade Zoo’s patron, Queen Elizabeth II, who once met the calf’s mum. The conservation Zoo gave the privilege of naming the not-so-tiny infant to ZSL conservationists who work in Thailand, protecting endangered, Asian elephants in the wild. The conservationists chose the name Nang Phaya (pronounced ‘nang-pie-yah'), which is an animal-related Thai word meaning ‘queen, or strong, female monarch.’ The female elephant calf was born at ZSL Whipsnade Zoo on Monday 22 August, to mum Donna, who HM Queen Elizabeth II met when she opened the Zoo’s Centre for Elephant Care in 2017. A photograph of HM The Queen feeding Donna a banana featured on her official Christmas card that year.