The life of a nine-day-old female Asian elephant at the Calgary Zoo hangs in the balance after she was rejected by her mother.

Born to first-time mother Maharani, the calf is being kept inside and out of sight for the next few days until zookeepers determine whether her mother might change her mind.

Head elephant keeper Bob Kam says it's uncommon, but not unheard of, for first-time mothers to avoid their babies.

Bob Kam with elephant calf

"She's never had a baby before, never seen a baby before, doesn't know what it is," said Kam. "When this baby came out of her, she had no idea what this big thing was that dropped out of her and she was very afraid."

Maharani won't allow her unnamed offspring to suckle, preventing it from getting important enzymes and antibodies that can't be provided with artificial milk.

Zoo officials say the mother needs to accept her 110-kilogram baby within the next few days in order for it to survive.

Successful captive births are rare because elephants weren't meant to be born in zoos, says the executive director of the Elephant Sanctuary, a naturalistic sanctuary in Tennessee.

"In the wild, female elephants live in extended matriarchal herds. There's a lot of knowledge passed down from individual to individual," said Carol Buckley.

"Many elephants are able to help in the whole rearing and birthing process. In captivity we don't have those situations."

However, breeding programs are crucial to the survival of the endangered Asian elephant.

"It's not just a matter of preserving numbers, but preserving ... the species," said Dr. Murray Woodbury, of the University of Saskatchewan.

The Calgary Zoo's elephant breeding program has produced two other elephants, including one who has fathered 11 offspring.