On Tuesday, May 12, 2020 at 6:30 a.m., 29-year-old Asian elephant Shanti gave birth to a 326-pound male calf after a short labor. Immediately following his birth, the elephant team and veterinary staff saw that he was hemorrhaging severely from his umbilicus. Upon further investigation, they determined that he tore a vessel in his umbilical cord during birth. The team acted quickly to sedate the one-hour-old calf and get him into emergency surgery. The Houston Zoo veterinarians preformed the 30-minute procedure to find the torn vessel, stop the bleeding, and close the hole in the calf’s abdomen.
At the same time, the elephant team worked quickly to collect whole blood from the rest of the herd in the event the new calf needed to have a transfusion. The team’s skill, and training paid off and they were able to quickly and calmly collect three bags of blood. Luckily, a transfusion was not necessary, and the collected blood will be saved for any future needs.
Shortly after surgery, the team reunited the calf with his mom, Shanti. The calf was soon standing and walking on his own and began to nurse before the day ended.
The calf has been named Nelson by the team who have dedicated their lives to the care, well-being, and conservation of these incredible animals. (Source: The Houston Zoo)
This cach will require a small safari through grasslands to reach the pachyderm's home. But no need to pack a trunk. As always, watch for muggles (although I doubt there will be any right at GZ). Re-hide well. Bring a writing utensil. Watch for barbed wire, although the cache is placed where you shouldn't have to touch it.
