Buckles Blog: An Elephant Miracle! #6

Thursday, December 23, 2010

Buckles said...: I don't know nothin' about birthin' babies.
But had I not read the caption first, I would have assumed this was a nursing calf at the time of the mother's death.
Doesn't appear to be the least bit wobbley.
I'd ask someone up at the Stud Farm for an opinion but these days the truth is not in them.; 23 December, 2010 06:49
Anonymous said...: I know less than nothing about birthing elephants but this story doesn't sit right at all.
Any living foetus has a very short time to live between the death of the mother and breathing on its own. The people who took the calf from the dead mother had a very short time to determine that there was a foetus inside, cut it out and clear the air passages to sustain life.
It is possible that the owner of the cow was near and knew for some time she was pregnant. Still, the calf in the photo is not hours old.
Maybe the same calf born but days earlier. The 'nice' story of the saved life for me is negated by the graphic photos of the poor mother. DJY; 23 December, 2010 09:09
Anonymous said...: Your comment aside, a glance at the calves nails gives you the answer to your inquiry. Those nails are not from a fetus who just came out of the womb. They are hardened and the soft nails that extend across the pad are completely gone. Your assessment that it is a nursing calf is spot on.; 23 December, 2010 14:06

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