CALGARY, Alberta, Dec. 8 (UPI) -- The female baby elephant rejected by its mother at Canada's Calgary Zoo has died after living just three weeks, the Canadian Broadcasting Corp. said.
The calf's 14-year-old, first-time mother didn't want anything to do with her soon after her birth in mid-November, leaving her to the care of zookeepers, who hand-fed her with a special formula. However, the formula didn't have the full nutrients and antibodies that would be available in the mother's milk.
"Despite the heroic efforts of determined keepers, veterinarians and animal health technologists, the baby slipped into a coma at 3 p.m. (Tuesday) and did not recover," said a statement on the zoo's Web site. "They did everything humanly possible and then some to help keep this little elephant alive. Unfortunately, nature makes its own choices."
Zoo spokeswoman Trish Exton-Parder said they received calls from around the world about the calf and a trust fund was set up to help pay for her $500-per-day care.
