'Miracle' Elephant Seemingly Rises From the Dead After Birth

I dare you to read this story and not go 'awww.'

On Wednesday morning, workers at Sydney's Taronga Zoo were devastated when it appeared their female elephant, Porntip, whose name prophetically means "eternally blessed" in Thai, gave birth to a stillborn baby after a two-year-long pregnancy and six grueling days of labor — the longest labor ever recorded in a land mammal.

The baby displayed no vital signs in the womb during that marathon labor, so the little one was sadly declared dead.

But shortly after its birth this little miracle proved even the most senior veterinarians wrong after he lifted his head and showed unmistakable signs of life.

"We were going, 'it's a live calf, it's a live calf!' and all of our careful planning just kicked into place," overjoyed elephant keeper Katharina Theodore told a crowd, according to Australian Public Broadcasting. "We radioed the vets and got them down to help us and assist us immediately."

The bundle of joy — who weighed in at a hefty 255 pounds — soon started walking slowly around the pen near his mother, immediately earning him the name Mr. Shuffles.

Although Mr. Shuffles isn't quite out of the woods yet, zookeepers were encouraged by his progress on his first day of life, including importantly nursing from his mother.

Mr. Shuffles has almost immediately captured the hearts of zoo workers, and Taronga Zoo CEO Cameron Kerr said he practically had to force his people to go home and get some rest after spending all night monitoring the zoo's newest addition.

"I have staff around here with very dark rings around their eyes," he said. "But fortunately, because of the turnaround in events, they've got lovely smiles on their faces."

I think we all do, actually. Here's wishing Mr. Shuffles a long, healthy life.

Photo by SuperJew via Wikimedia Commons.