Baby elephant appears worse for wear and falls face first into mud

At three weeks old, this baby Asian elephant loves spending the day scampering around his enclosure in a bid to find his feet.

But it seems the calf is still trying to get to grips with his tiny legs after he fell trunk-first into the mud when his feet got tangled up.

Luckily, his doting mother was there in seconds to rescue her clumsy new-born and propped him back up on all fours before he ran off again.

Unsteady: Three-week-old Max looks a little wobbly while trying to stand up at Whipsnade Zoo in Dunstable

Unbalanced: The baby animal is still struggling to find its feet after entering the world and begins to slip as he runs around a log

Ouch! He falls trunk-first into the mud as his front legs give way

Baby Max was born on October 12 to second-time mum Karishma at Whipsnade Zoo in Dunstable, Bedfordshire.

He has spent the first few weeks of his life playing with the herd and rushing around the seven-acre paddock.

Zookeepers say the 22-stone elephant has been a ‘handful’ ever since he was welcomed into the world and sometimes needs a helping hand when he is on the move.

He was pictured having the ungainly moment at the zoo when his legs gave way while he was running around a tree trunk.

Zookeeper Stefan Groeneveld, who is watching Max’s development, said: ‘He has come on so much in just three weeks and is already showing an independent streak.

He’ll happily leave his mum’s side to go and play in the paddock with the rest of the herd.

Karishma is proving to be an excellent mum and the other elephants are just so excited to be around Max.

Elephants are very social animals and having youngsters joining the herd is what elephant life is all about.

Max shares Whipsnade’s seven-acre paddock with nine other elephants – including brother George, aged three, and half-siblings Donna, four, and Scott, two.

Back up: Max’s mother Karishma comes to his rescue within seconds and helps him back to his feet

Supportive: His doting mother has been keeping a close eye on him ever since he was born

Settling in: Max may have only been at the zoo for less than a month, but zookeepers say he is already loved by the herd and is very excitable

Mr. Groenveld added: ‘The herd loves him, when he was first born they all wanted to see him and be with him.

His younger brother Scott was nervous at first and stayed away with him but is now bullying him, which is a good sign.

He runs around all the time, he is just full of energy at the moment.

Eager: The speedy nipper was moving around on his feet within minutes of being born and is already amusing zookeepers as he gets to grips with his tiny trunk

By his side: Sometimes his mother needs to protect him a little bit more

Siblings: His half brother Scott, two, was uneasy with Max at the start, but is now bullying him which, according to zookeepers, is a good sign

Rascal: Staff at the zoo say the new-born is a ‘handful’ and does not seem to stop

He doesn’t seem to stop at all so he is definitely a handful.

The new arrival is an important addition to the European Endangered species Programme for Asian elephants because there are thought to be only around 35,000 left in the wild.

Their numbers have declined by at least 50 percent over the last three generations due to habitat loss, degradation, and fragmentation.

By WILLS ROBINSON/DAILY MAIL

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