326-pound Asian elephant calf 'Nelson' born at the Houston Zoo

HOUSTON - There’s a new addition at the Houston Zoo – a 326-pound baby elephant named Nelson.

The male Asian elephant was born early Tuesday morning, but not without a scare.

The baby elephant had to be rushed into emergency surgery soon after his birth because he was hemorrhaging severely from his umbilicus.

The Houston Zoo veterinary team performed a 30-minute procedure to find a torn vessel, stop the bleeding and close the hole in the calf’s abdomen.

The elephant team was working at the same to collect blood from the rest of the heard, in case the calf needed a transfusion. Luckily, a transfusion was not necessary, and the collected blood will be saved for any future needs.

After the surgery, the calf was reunited with his mother, Shanti. The zoo says Nelson was standing and walking on his own and began to nurse before the day ended.

Nelson is not completely out of the woods yet, but the team is cautiously optimistic that he will make a full recovery.

Shanti and Nelson will undergo continued post-natal exams and spend several days bonding, before they are ready to join the rest of the herd.

Nelson is Shanti’s sixth calf. Nelson raises the number of elephants in the Houston Zoo herd to 11--five males and six females.