Zoo welcomes new baby elephant who survives immediate brush with death

Nelson the elephant was just born on Tuesday at 326 pounds.

But shortly after his mama brought him into this world at Houston Zoo, Nelson was rushed into emergency surgery.

According to the zoo, Shanti, a 29-year-old Asian elephant, gave birth after a short labor.

Staff immediately noticed that Nelson was "hemorrhaging severely from his umbilicus. Upon further investigation, they determined that he tore a vessel in his umbilical cord during birth."

The staff acted quickly. Nelson had surgery just an hour and a half after he was born.

While he was in surgery, the elephant team gathered blood from the rest of the herd, just in case Nelson needed a transfusion. (He did not)

But, huge sigh of relief, Nelson is recovering well and is just adorable.

He was reunited with his mom after surgery and was soon walking on his own. He began to nurse before the end of the day.

According to the zoo, "While the young calf is not completely out of the woods yet, the team is cautiously optimistic that he will make a full recovery. Shanti and the calf will undergo continued post-natal exams and spend several days bonding, before they are ready to join the rest of the herd. During the bonding period, the elephant team is watching for the pair to share several key moments like communicating with mom and hitting weight goals."

"We are extremely proud of our dedicated, skilled and experienced elephant and veterinary teams who were thoroughly organized and ready to respond to whatever our new calf needed," said Lisa Marie Avendano, vice president of animal operations at the Houston Zoo. "We look forward to continuing to watch Nelson and Shanti bond and introducing him to Houston."

According to the zoo, Nelson is Shanti's sixth calf. The zoo now has a herd of 11 elephants – five males and six females.

If you are ever in Houston when the zoo is open after the coronavirus pandemic, stop by to say hello to Nelson. A portion of admission fees and memberships at the zoo help to protect wild elephants in Asia.

"Since the Houston Zoo started its work in Borneo in 2007, there has been an increase in the wild elephant population. The Houston Zoo provides equipment, training and support for Malaysian elephant conservationist, Nurzhafarina "Farina" Othman and her team in Borneo, who are working to protect elephant families in and around palm oil plantations.

Palm oil is a common ingredient in everyday items like soap and snack foods, and it is grown in areas where elephants roam. The Houston Zoo purchases trees for people in Borneo to replant in palm oil plantations to create forested paths for wildlife to use. By visiting and supporting the Houston Zoo, guests are helping the Zoo replant more than 300,000 trees in Borneo to save Asian elephants in the wild."

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