Baby elephant a natural show-off

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HELLO EVERYONE! Melbourne Zoo's baby elephant meets the press ahead of her first public appearance.

TIRED NOW: Melbourne Zoo's baby elephant meets the press ahead of her first public appearance.

MEET AND GREET: Melbourne Zoo's baby elephant meets the press ahead of her first public appearance.

MUST CONCENTRATE: Melbourne Zoo's baby elephant meets the press ahead of her first public appearance.

SNUG AS A BUG: Melbourne Zoo's baby elephant meets the press ahead of her first public appearance.

OOPS-A-DAISY: Melbourne Zoo's baby elephant meets the press ahead of her first public appearance.

CENTRE OF ATTENTION: Melbourne Zoo's baby elephant meets the press ahead of her first public appearance.

FOOLING AROUND: Melbourne Zoo's baby elephant meets the press ahead of her first public appearance.

WATCH OUT MUM! Melbourne Zoo's baby elephant meets the press ahead of her first public appearance.

UP CLOSE: Melbourne Zoo's baby elephant meets the press ahead of her first public appearance.

SHOW OFF: Melbourne Zoo's baby elephant meets the press ahead of her first public appearance.

SPLASHING AROUND: Melbourne Zoo's baby elephant meets the press ahead of her first public appearance.

FUN IN THE SUN: Melbourne Zoo's baby elephant meets the press ahead of her first public appearance.

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Lead an elephant calf to water for the first time and it will tumble in with delight.

Rolling around, limbs uncoordinated and at all angles, Melbourne's yet to be named baby elephant took her first dip yesterday ahead of her much anticipated public unveiling this morning.

The charismatic calf, which stands just above knee height and weighs 137kilograms, has already charmed zoo staff by playfully headbutting Mum Dokkoon's legs and using her surrogate aunt Mek Kapah as a scratching post.

Today, it's Melbourne's turn to be won over. And if yesterday was anything to go by it'll be easy. She captivated the media - typically a cynical bunch - at the preview, delaying the press conference and leaving environment minister Gavin Jennings standing solo on the sidelines.

In perpetual motion, she ran so fast she lost her footing, clambered over boulders and whacked her trunk on the surface of the water as she learnt to manipulate the wayward organ.

But there is a serious side. This young Asian elephant is the first female calf to be born in captivity in Australia and carers are monitoring her every movement with attention to the smallest of details.

Her faeces is weighed and urine measured daily. She has a set exercise routine and will get limited treats to keep her weight in check. Each time she opens her mouth, keepers steal a look inside to do a visual oral health check and watch for emerging teeth, which should appear in coming months.

''By that time she will be a 160-kilogram baby who is teething,'' curator Jan Steele said with raised eyebrows yesterday.

The young calf, which has put on over a kilogram a day since her birth on January 16, gulps up to 14litres a day of mother's milk although it will be about three months until she considers eating solids. At the moment apples and piles of hay are just play things.

General curator Dan Moloney said first-time Mum Dokkoon, 16, and Mek Kapah, 35, were getting used to their new roles. And to eating trampled hay.

''The calf in her exuberance just ruined their food,'' he said yesterday, gesturing to the enclosure at lunchtime. ''It's like she's rolling in their salad.''

But the maternal instincts are kicking in. Dokkoon gave her calf a helpful nudge up an embankment after she lost her footing and kept a reassuring distance as her calf took to the water for the first time.

Keepers have described her as completely fearless and have had to take precautions, such as reducing the depth of the pool from 1.5metres to just under half a metre.

In coming weeks she will be named and introduced to her herd, including donor-Dad Bong Su who has glimpsed her from a neighbouring enclosure, as zoo staff attempt to create a family unit.

- © Fairfax NZ News