Vigil for 'miracle' elephant calf

Staff at Taronga Zoo said the baby elephant - nicknamed for his unsteady gait - was growing stronger and feeding himself but cautioned he was "not out of the woods yet".

"This little calf has been through a incredibly tough time," said zoo director Cameron Kerr.

"There is no record anywhere else in the world - of the 10,000 births, there is no recording - of a labour that has gone this long.

"There is no recording of a calf being absolutely still for several days like this."

The zoo announced Mr. Shuffles had died on Monday after a week of on-off labour.

But  to the surprise and delight of staff, the 116kg baby raised his head after apparently being stillborn on Wednesday.

Calf accepted by herd

"I was kind of happy she had at least expelled the calf," said senior elephant keeper Katharina Theodore.

"And then, mind-blowingly enough, the calf raised its head. We were saying, 'it's a live calf, it's a calf'."

Mr Shuffles and his mother, Porntip, are receiving 24-hour care in a heated barn and will remain out of public sight for the foreseeable future.

Mr Kerr said 18-year-old Porntip "was doing everything one could expect from a first time cow".

"She's very gentle with him, she is looking after him," he said.

Other members of Taronga's elephant herd have warmly accepted the calf, and even missed their breakfast on Thursday morning to greet him.