Elephants in the English countryside

Elephants have been spotted roaming the pastoral fields of eastern England. Released for a jaunt from the Zoological Society of London's Whipsnade Zoo, a herd of Asian elephants (Elephas maximus), including a four-month-old calf named Scott, took in the scenic views of Aylesbury Vale from the Chiltern Hills. The elephants trekked two-and-a-half miles around the Whipsnade Zoo, and keepers said the new calf was tuckered out by the end. "Scott usually crashes out as soon as he's back from the walk. We put piles of hay down in the barn and he’s out for the count," Assistant Curator of Elephants Lee Sambrook said in a press release. Asian elephants are listed as Endangered by the IUCN Red List. They are imperiled by habitat loss, poaching for their ivory, and human-wildlife conflict.