THE first baby elephant born in Worcestershire will be celebrating his first birthday next week.

Sutton, the baby elephant born at West Midland Safari Park, is one year old on 5th May 2015 and he is already enjoying some extra special birthday treats put on courtesy of his doting keepers.

Sutton – named after Birmingham campaigner Stephen Sutton, who died of cancer in May last year aged 19 – was born at West Midland Safari Park near Bewdley on Monday, May 5 2014.

As a birthday treat keepers at the park set up a sand castle in his enclosure, which the baby quickly set upon with a rake.

The park’s head elephant keeper Andy Plumb said: "Staff remember the time twelve months ago all too well.

“We eagerly and rather nervously awaited the birth of our first ever baby elephant in the Park's 42-year history.

“The bouncing baby boy was born at 5.30pm on Monday, 5th May 2014 after a 22- month pregnancy and weighed in at a healthy 100 kg!

“Today, Sutton is a robust little animal that tops the scales at 370 kg - that's just over 58 stone.

“We expect that he will continue to gain weight at a steady 20 kg every month.”

The park is also home to two female African elephants – 23-year-old Five, Sutton’s mother, and 22-year-old Latabe.

Both were orphaned by the shooting of their mothers at just five weeks old had had been raised at a private elephant orphanage near Pretoria, South Africa and arrived at the park in 1998 aged six and five.