Asian elephant calf feared dead is born at Sydney's Taronga Zoo
Last updated 3/12/2010 8:51:44 AM
Asian elephant calf feared dead is born at Sydney Taronga Zoo
They feared the worst, but against all odds an Australian zoo has welcomed a new Asian elephant calf to the world when it had seemed there were no signs of life.
Keepers and vets at Taronga Zoo in Sydney weren't hopeful when they found none of the five vital signs of life for the calf, in its mother's womb.
But the male calf was born after six days of intensive effort by his mother, Porntip, and has been named Mr Shuffles.
"We still can't get over how strong the calf is considering all that he has been through," the zoo says on its website. "For the first time today he's now able to lie down and stand up without our help. For the moment we are calling him Mr Shuffles because the calf is not quite strong enough to lift his feet as he follows Porntip around."
Staff have already weighed the calf with Porntip's help. The mother and calf hopped up onto the scales together and keepers then encouraged Porntip off so they could get a reading on his weight – 116 kilos.
The zoo reports that the calf's mother is very relaxed and calm and attentive towards her offspring - and their other elephants are all looking out for her too.
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