A MIRACLE Asian elephant calf who was born three months after its due date has been named Anjan.

Born two weeks ago, the male calf astonished experts when he arrived to mum Thi Hi Way at Chester Zoo following an assumed gestation of 25 months.

Scientists believed Thi, who was already a great-grandmother and matriarch of the herd, had lost the calf as the usual gestation period for an Asian elephant is around 22 months.

But, despite the unusual circumstances, Thi gave birth to the healthy baby boy and zoo staff say both mother and calf are doing incredibly well.

Zookeepers chose the name Anjan in honour of Anjan Nath, one of the leading conservation figures the zoo works with on a project in Assam, northern India.

The project has successfully eliminated conflict between local communities and the nearby Asian elephant population, offering a blueprint for the future conservation of the species.

Asian elephants are listed as endangered by the International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Red List as they are threatened by habitat loss, poaching, disease and direct conflict with humans.

Conservationists from the zoo have been working to combat these threats in the elephant’s native India for more than twelve years, utilising the skills and knowledge developed working with the herd in Chester.