Big Baby For A Big Mama

The staff at the Toledo zoo in Ohio has its hands full with one very big baby. An African elephant named Rene gave birth to a new calf last month. The little guy doesn't have a name yet, but he already weighs over 300 pounds.

Dr. Randi Meyerson, the curator of mammals at the zoo told The Early Show co-anchor Harry Smith when a elephant gives birth, it is not altogether good news.

"There have only been 38 African elephant calves born in the United States. And out of that, there's only 50 percent survival rate," Meyerson says pointing out elephants in captivity in particular have a tough time owning up to the pregnancy.

Meyerson explains, "In the wild, they would see lots of other elephants being born in the herd before they would have a calf themselves. And actually in the wild, the first time a mom has a calf, the other females in the herd that have had calves sort of act as aunts and they sort of show mom what to do. And if it gets a little risky, when you give birth to a 300-pound baby, the aunt elephants will actually get between the mom and the calf until things calm down. And then sort of tell everyone what to do."

New elephant moms in captivity she says have been known to harm the babies. Meyerson notes why, "It just happens fast, and it's very exciting, and when you have an 8,000- or 9,00-pound mom and a 300-ound calf, just turning quickly in the wrong direction, you know, can harm the calf unintentionally."

The good news is that the newborn calf at the Toledo Zoo is nursing and doing well.

Meyerson says, "When he was first born, mom wasn't quite sure what was going on, and things were a little nerve-racking. So we actually pulled him to the side, and she just wasn't calming down as quickly as we would have liked. And we didn't want to risk him because we were so happy to have a live calf born so we did a slow introduction. And by day twelve we actually got them together. Since they've been together they've been wonderful. I mean, she's a mom, he's her baby, there's no doubt."

As for the baby's chances to grow to maturity, Meyerson says it still has a lot of milestones to go through. But the staff at the zoo is hopeful. A naming contest is in the works.