Elephant does maternity exercises

Like any expectant mother, Panang the elephant wants the very best for her baby, which is evident as she carefully performs her maternity exercises. Guided by her minder Andi Fries, the 20-year-old elephant did a series of stretches in her pen at the Tierpark Hellabrunn Zoo in Munich.

Panang, who is nearing the end of her two-year gestation period, is due to give birth this month or next.

Zoo keepers are anxious about the birth as Panang has been pregnant twice before – but both calves were stillborn.



Stillbirths are common among elephants, who experience difficult labours, sometimes resulting in the baby becoming stuck between the womb and the pelvis. Indeed some captive elephants have been discovered to carry mummified fetal remains in their wombs for years.

While emergency Caesareans have been attempted, the procedure is always at the expense of the life of the mother.

Which is why Panang is being put through her regimen of stretching and strengthening exercises, designed to ensure that her calf does not grow too big and to help her build up the muscles she will rely on during labour.

With more photos.