A New Arrival at Alladale Alladale Wilderness Reserve's 4-year
old European Elk cow, "Hulda", has given birth to her second
calf and the pair are doing especially well in a spell of
spectacular Highland weather! Unusually, Hulda has borne only 1
calf each year over 2 seasons – European Elk have a high
incidence of twinning. TENT Wildlife Manager, David ("Poppy")
Clark said he is delighted with his estimated bodyweight of the
new calf, but he hasn't had the opportunity as yet to determine
the sex of the new arrival. Meanwhile, "Hercules", the father of
the calf is wisely keeping his distance from a mother who is
fiercely protective of her newborn. European Elk are very
solitary and do not form herds, so this is natural behaviour.
The calf will grow at a rate of approximately 1 kilogram each
day until the autumn and "Hulda" will consume up to 50 kilograms
each day of a high fibre diet to maintain a healthy milk supply.
We will keep you posted!