The Vienna Zoo is celebrating the first African elephant pregnancy in their facility in 21 years.

Footage shows the pregnant jumbo in its enclosure in Austria. She mated with a 23-year-old bull from Halle Zoo.

The zoo said the pregnancy was monitored through hormone tests and has progressed well, with expectations set for the birth approximately a year from now.

Stephan Hering-Hagenbeck, director of Vienna Zoo, expressed delight at the development: 'Our long-term goal is to replicate the natural social structure of African elephants within our zoo, a critical initiative under the European Conservation Breeding Program.'

The African elephant, classified as endangered due to habitat loss and poaching, faces significant threats in the wild.

Vienna Zoo's partnership with Save the Elephants, an organization based in Nairobi, works on conservation efforts. Together, they study elephant behaviour in Kenya's Samburu National Reserve, aiming to mitigate human-animal conflicts and preserve habitats crucial for the species' survival.