by Charlotte Hayward

A super cute baby elephant has defied the odds and survived after being initially rejected by its mother.

It didn’t look good for the poor Nelly when first time mum Justa didn’t take to her after birth.

The jumbo was left her to fend for herself immediately after birth at Howletts Wild Animal Park near Canterbury.

But brave zoo keepers made the decision to rear her themselves - even though elephant calves raised solely by humans have a low chance of survival.

They managed to keep the baby near Justa in the hope that she would eventually show some maternal behaviour.

Thankfully, it paid off.

Within two weeks the baby had started to feed from her mum and the two became closer and closer.

However, the calf’s grandmother had still not taken to her granddaughter and was displaying hostile and aggressive behaviour towards her.

Keepers wanted her to be accepted by her mother’s herd and were very anxious that she would not been successfully integrated into the family.

Six weeks on and the calf is a fully fledged member of the Howlett’s herd and accepted as one of their own.

Damian Aspinall, who now runs the park, said: "Myself and the team at Howletts are delighted to present this very special elephant calf to the world."