Elephant Calf Born Alive, Despite Predictions of Death
Image Source: Flickr. By: Brian.Gratwicke.
Life and death work in mysterious ways and one recent incident in Sydney’s Taronga Zoo is proof of that.
An Asian Elephant gave birth yesterday to a healthy, living, baby boy. Two days ago, you wouldn’t have known that. Two days ago, zookeepers and veterinarians both declared the elephant calf dead inside the womb. Apparently, the mother had gone through 6 days of labor, but nothing happened. Even the ultrasounds showed no possible chance of a successful birth.
Well, it would seem that once again, nature had everyone fooled (except the baby and his mother). Not only was the baby born alive early yesterday morning, but he has also taken his first steps. Some officials believe the calf was in a coma throughout the labor, which is why it may have appeared to be “dead”.
Gary Miller, elephant manager at the zoo, stated:
“When the keepers learned the calf had survived this morning, the looks of disbelief on our faces were quite a picture. We couldn’t believe that this could be true.”
It’s good to see that a potential tragedy had a good ending after all.
By Heidi Marshall
Lead image by SuperJew (source: Wikimedia Commons)
I have been with GreenFudge for about a year now, but I've had a passion for Nature my entire life. When I'm not writing articles, you can find me out hiking, gardening, working on green craft projects, or taking photos for my website. You can check out the site at http://arkisaeo.com
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Tags: Asian Elephant, australia, birth, elephant, life and death, Sydney, Taronga Zoo
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