A zoo in southern Russia is celebrating the Christmas season with a special and rather unexpected new arrival - a baby elephant. The female calf weighs 70 kilograms and is doing well.

She has not yet been named. Her mother is a six-year-old Indian elephant Sinta, nicknamed "Juliet", who gave birth on December the 22nd at the zoo in Rostov-on-Don.

The Zoo's deputy director says the young mother is taking care of her baby and covers her with hay to keep her warm while she sleeps. Zoo officials say the birth was a real surprise, as they thought Sinta was too young to get pregnant. Elephants are not usually considered to be fully grown until they are at least 10 years old, so Sinta could be described as an "underage" mother.

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