A Hindu priest has been given the mammoth task of blessing an infant elephant.

Ganesh Vijay, a 20-stone baby, will be named and blessed with good health on Wednesday.

He was born at Twycross Zoo in August and is the first calf to be successfully bred by artificial insemination at the zoo.

Brahmin Shree Mahendra Pandya, from Jalaram Prarthana Mandal temple in Narborough Road, Leicester, will visit Twycross and pray the baby brings happiness to the zoo and its visitors.

A red dot will also be placed on the calf's head and a sweet will be offered to him by the priest.

Brahmin Pandya said: "This is the same ceremony we would perform for people.

"We believe there is no difference between animals and people – we all have the same soul – so I will be blessing the elephant as I would any human. We hope the animal has long life and good health." The 10-week-old Asian elephant calf was named Ganesh after a competition run by Sabras Sound Radio in Belgrave.

His keepers gave him his second name, Vijay, which means victory.

Twycross Zoo director Suzanne Boardman said: "We are delighted to have Ganesh Vijay blessed by the Brahmin. The calf's arrival has created lots of excitement and he is a definite crowd pleaser especially among young children."

Ganesh Vijay was born on August 6, weighing 16 stone. He will grow to about six-and-a-half tonnes as an adult.

His mother Noorjahan was born at Jaldapara Wildlife Sanctuary in West Bengal, India, and arrived at Twycross in 1998.