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A newborn male Asian Elephant, nicknamed Mr Shuffles, stands under its mother at Taronga Zoo in Sydney - Source: Reuters -
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The newborn male Asian elephant calf nicknamed Mr Shuffles by Taronga Zoo staff has had a restful night.
Zoo staff have been working around the clock to care for the calf born early Wednesday morning after a protracted labour that began on March 1.
They discovered the calf alive in the early hours of Wednesday - days after breeding experts said his heart had stopped beating while inside Taronga's elephant herd matriarch Porntip.
His mother, 18-year-old Porntip, got little rest overnight Thursday as she tended to her charge in a warm elephant sleeping barn, the zoo said in a statement on Friday.
"The calf still has a long way to go, although he is stronger than what we would expect for an animal which has had such an eventful start to life," Taronga Zoo's director Cameron Kerr said.
"He still needs on-going care from his dedicated keepers and veterinary team who are working 24 hours a day to ensure his welfare."
Kerr said the calf was not as robust as the zoo's other elephant breeding success story, the eight-month-old Luk Chai which was born after a normal labour last July.
The new calf and his mother will remain in the elephant barn and out of public sight as zoo keepers and veterinarians continue to monitor its progress.
