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!