Blood tests confirmed what vets suspected. Its liver function is disturbed and the skin is shedding. The baby elephant is receiving extra vitamins to tackle the problem.

The illness comes on top of other problems. The baby is two weeks old now but still its mother is rejecting it. Mother milk is crucial for newly-borns to survive as it supports their delicate immune system. If a baby elephant can’t drink from the mother’s breast, it mostly dies after one year. 

Planckendael animal carers are now feeding Baby Q with ‘normal’ milk containing extra vitamins and milk from Phyo Phyo, another female elephant that is expecting. She is already producing milk, but not the perfect milk for babies yet. The good news is that Baby Q is drinking enough surrogate milk to keep his weight (more or less). However he remains very fragile.

It is hoped that international experts can come up with more ideas or suggestions to save Baby Q by having his mother accepting him.

Flandersnews.be / Expatica