Watch CBS News

Zoo Euthanizes Baby Elephant With Feeding Issues

PITTSBURGH (AP) — A Pittsburgh zoo says a baby elephant that had a feeding tube inserted to help it gain weight has been euthanized.

Officials at the Pittsburgh Zoo & PPG Aquarium announced Wednesday that the unnamed female calf had died.

The calf was born about 30 days prematurely in May, and at 184 pounds (83.6 kilograms), it was about 52 pounds (23.6 kilograms) underweight at birth.

The calf's mother at the zoo's International Conservation Center in Somerset County rejected the calf, forcing keepers to feed it a combination of formula and elephant milk pumped from another female.

pittsburgh zoo elephant
(credit: Pittsburgh Zoo / Facebook)

Teething caused the calf to stop eating. It responded well to the feeding tube inserted earlier this month, but it didn't gain enough weight.

(© Copyright 2017 The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.) 

View CBS News In
CBS News App Open
Chrome Safari Continue
Be the first to know
Get browser notifications for breaking news, live events, and exclusive reporting.