Baby sea lion born in Banham

Calfornian sea lion Filippa was keeping a secret well hidden when she arrived at Banham Zoo ... she was pregnant.

On Friday, she gave birth to the first pup to be born at the new Sea Lion Bay opened in March to celebrate the zoo’s 50th anniversary.

Experienced mum Filippa came to Banham from Blackpool Zoo, along with fellow sea lions Gala and Elmo, who is the father of the new pup.

Animal manager Mike Woolham said: “We certainly didn’t expect to have our first pup born so early, but Filippa obviously conceived while still at Blackpool. We had no idea until a recent scan determined the pregnancy and, since then, we have all been waiting for this day.”

The much-travelled Filippa, who was born in Osnabruck Zoo in Germany in 1999, and her new baby bonded immediately.

Zoo staff are monitoring them closely and report that both are doing well.