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Rejected baby elephant receives blood transfusionCALGARY — Zoo officials hope a special blood transfusion will give a baby elephant the infection-fighting antibodies it needs that it would normally get from mothers milk.The pachyderm born last week at the Calgary Zoo has been at risk for health problems after it was rejected by her mother and grandmother.The unnamed elephant has also been treated with antibiotics, said zoo spokeswoman Trish Exton-Parder Friday. Officials give the animal a 50 per cent chance of surviving.“She’s fighting an infection right now so they’re having to medicate her with some antibiotics which is likely due to not having enough of mom’s initial milk,” she said.“We are cautiously optimistic because she’s not in great shape. She’s stable but she’s not doing really, really well and so we just have to be realistic about that scenario.”Maharani, the 14-year-old mother of the calf, doesn’t seem to understand what the baby is or what it wants. Maharani was born at the zoo in 1990, The baby’s grandmother, Kamala, has rejected her as well.Veterinarians, with the help of I Canadian Blood Services, obtained ! blood from two female elephants at the zoo. It was sent to a Vancouver lab, where the blopd was processed and the | plasma component extracted. /CP
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