
Courtesy of the Saint Louis Zoo
Rani bonds with her newborn baby elephant on July 6, the day he was born. The baby is now struggling with developmental problems.
The Saint Louis Zoo's newest baby elephant has been showing developmental issues that have caused him to have trouble feeding, the zoo announced in a post on its social media Thursday.
Still unnamed, the calf was born July 6. He is the first male Asian elephant to be born at the zoo in 27 years.
Although the Elephant Care Team has been giving the calf and his mom, Rani, round-the-clock care, he is still "weak at times," the Zoo noted in a tweet.
The post says "additional veterinary testing is underway," though it does not specify what kind of testing is being done or provide any more details on the calf's developmental impairment.
The zoo says they will release updates as they occur: "For now, we appreciate your support and positive thoughts."