Elephant Shrew Firsts: Hertfordshire Zoo Celebrates First-Ever UK Births
In an unexpected nocturnal discovery, Hertfordshire Zoo has confirmed the first elephant shrew births in the United Kingdom. Two black and rufous sengi arrived weighing just 30g (1oz) each — roughly the weight of a standard AA battery — and were initially missed by keepers before staff identified the pups while reviewing overnight CCTV. The breeding followed the recent arrival of parents Nuru and Mala, and zoo leaders say the births mark a milestone for the captive population held in the country.
Elephant Shrew firsts at Hertfordshire Zoo
The newborns are part of the black and rufous sengi group and their arrival is being treated as a successful outcome for the zoo’s breeding programme. Hertfordshire Zoo described the programme as “a significant victory for the wider zoological community, with only a handful of black and rufous sengi currently residing in the UK. ” Keepers discovered the births while checking overnight footage; the pups were small enough at birth to be initially overlooked in their nesting area but were confirmed on review of the CCTV recordings.
Background and biological context
Sengi, historically known as shrews, occupy a distinctive place in mammal classification: they were officially renamed as sengi in 1998 and are more closely related to elephants, manatees and aardvarks than to true shrews. Adults of this black and rufous type weigh around 1. 54 lbs (700g) and are capable of running up to 15 mph (25km/h). Their diet includes invertebrates such as ants and termites, as well as fruit and seeds. The pair of newborns will be monitored closely as they develop toward adult size and behaviors.
Implications for captive care and conservation
Zoo staff report that the pups are being watched by the veterinary team and, while they currently spend most of their time in their nesting area, they are expected to be viewable by the public in the coming weeks. Zoo leadership emphasized the speed at which the animals have bred following the parents’ arrival a few months earlier, underscoring both the animals’ high energy and the husbandry standards maintained at the facility. In the words of Tyler Whitnall, managing director of Hertfordshire Zoo: “To have the first-ever black and rufous sengi birth in the UK is an incredible feeling. ” He added, “To see them successfully breed so quickly is a testament to the world-class care provided by our team. ” He also noted that “These pups are growing incredibly fast and are already showing the same high-energy, inquisitive traits as their parents. “
For the zoological community that cares for and studies sengi, the births provide living evidence of the feasibility of captive breeding for this species variant in the UK. With only a limited number of these animals currently in national collections, the successful reproduction of black and rufous sengi could inform husbandry protocols and encourage other institutions to consider coordinated breeding efforts and veterinary monitoring regimes.
The births also highlight operational realities: the neonates were light enough to be overlooked at first, prompting a review of monitoring practices such as CCTV oversight and nest checks. The zoo’s veterinary team continues to monitor growth rates and behavior to determine timing for public display and to record developmental milestones that may be useful for peer institutions handling similar species.
As the pups mature under veterinary supervision, questions remain about how best to integrate new individuals into wider breeding networks and what role UK collections can play in supporting the small captive population of black and rufous sengi. Will these first UK-born pups prompt more targeted collaboration between zoos and specialists to sustain and study this distinctive mammal?
