A baby elephant stands next to its mother May Tagu after it was born on Christmas day at Planckendael Zoo in Mechelen, Belgium December 25, 2017. Jonas Verhulst/Courtesy of Planckendael/Handout via REUTERS.
BRUSSELS (Reuters) – A baby elephant born on Christmas day made its first public appearance at a Belgian zoo on Wednesday.
Planckendael zoo captured the infant’s arrival on video on Sunday, estimating the calf weighed around 85 kg (187 lb).
Zoo keeper Ben Van Dyck said the elephant had been heavily guarded by family members in the enclosure since.
The new arrival tried to stand 25 minutes after it was born, he added.
The calf is the ninth Asian elephant at the zoo, about 25 km (15 miles) northeast of Brussels.
(Writing by Patrick Johnston in LONDON)
