Queen feeds elephant a banana at opening of new £2m centre at Whipsnade Zoo

Robert Jobson11 April 2017

The Queen launched a new £2m elephant centre at Whipsnade Zoo by feeding one of the herd a banana.

Seven-year-old Donna got a meal she will never forget as Her Majesty dished up the tasty treat shortly after unveiling a plaque at Whipsnade Zoo.

The 72stone (460kg) Asian elephant - who keepers say loves to play fight - plucked one piece of fruit out of the Queen's hand before picking a second from Prince Philip's.

Her Royal Highness - dressed in a pale lavender suit and matching hat - shared tips with the elephant keepers, joking how bringing up the Asian beasts is similar to rearing her own horses.

Queen Elizabeth, watched by Prince Philip, feeds an elephant during a visit to Whipsnade Zoo
REUTERS

As she met dignitaries on the 45-minute tour, the Queen said: "The elephants look very happy in there.

"It's a rather nice change for them, I suppose."

Told they make a lot a mess, she added: "Yes, they do don't they? They are quite destructive."

The Queen also met a ten-month-old elephant calf, who was named Elizabeth after being born the day before Her Majesty's 90th birthday celebrations in June.

And she was given a bouquet of flowers by adorable Arthur Craft, four, dressed in a blue, three piece suit matching his dad's, Whipsnade general manager Owen Craft.

Queen Elizabeth II receives a bouquet of flowers from four-year-old Arthur Craft at ZSL Whipsnade Zoo
PA

David Field, zoological director at the Zoological Society of London, said: "They were both really interested in the bond between the elephants and the keepers.

"The Queen talked about the bond between horses and people so she really understood that.

"She was absolutely delighted and went 'oh really?' when we told her the elephant calf was named after her."

The centre is on 30 acres of rolling paddocks and is itself 700m2, decked out with one-metre deep sand.

Queen Elizabeth opens the new Centre for Elephant Care at Whipsnade Zoo
REUTERS

The enclosure lights are timed to go dark at night so the animals feel like they are on safari and nets hung from the ceiling are timed to drop down so they can feed at intervals.

Microphones pick up "infrasonic" sounds the elephants use to communicate which cannot be heard by humans.

Instead the soundwaves appear on an electronic screen overlooking the enclosure.

Previously the herd was in an ordinary barn, itself opened by Prince Philip around 20 years ago.

And the Duke of Edinburgh said he was excited to see how the majestic animals had progressed in the intervening years.

The royal couple chewed the fat with Lee Sambrook, assistant curator for elephants, in the new enclosure.

Queen Elizabeth II meets some of the zookeepers at ZSL Whipsnade Zoo (PA)
David Rose/The Daily Telegraph/PA

Lee said: "Prince Philip started making fun of us.

"He started saying 'do you guys think it's summer in your shorts?'

"He said 'you must think you're in Africa'. I said 'I wish I was'.

"The duke was very interested in whether they were a true herd.

"He said 'do you keep them all together?' We said 'yes, we can keep all nine elephants together in a complete herd'."

There was one awkward moment during the visit when ZSL president Sir John Beddington accidentally walked Her Majesty passed a line of proud keepers and vets eager to meet her.

The embarrassed boss told his royal guest: "I have made the most terrible mistake ma'am, I forgot to introduce you to this line up."

Earlier he addressed crowds in the zoo's amphitheatre, saying: "Elephants are facing terrible threats around the world and ZSL zoos and international conservation projects are working to tackle these issues and secure a future for this amazing species."

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