A 300-pound Asian elephant calf was born at the National Zoo early Monday, the zoo announced this morning.
The calf, a female, is the first elephant to be born at the zoo in almost 25 years, and only the third born there in the zoo’s 136-year history.
The baby arrived at 1:15 a.m. to 12-year-old mother Nhi Linh and 44-year-old father Spike, the zoo said in statement. The pair bred in April 2024. An Asian elephant’s gestation period is 18 to 22 months.
“After waiting nearly 25 years for an Asian elephant calf, this birth fills us with profound joy,” the zoo’s director, Brandie Smith, said in the statement.
The calf won’t make her public debut for up to a month, while she bonds with her mother, the other elephants and the keepers, the zoo said. The zoo, in Northwest Washington, now has seven elephants, including the baby.
The zoo said the calf weighs 308 pounds and stands about three feet tall.
She was born in a birthing suite in the Elephant Barn, an off-exhibit area adjacent to the Elephant Community Center. Her grandmother, Trong Nhi, 22, and herd mate Bozie, 51, were in suites nearby, the zoo said.
“As both Trong Nhi and Bozie are closely bonded with Nhi Linh, it was important for them to be present and share in her experience,” the zoo’s statement said.
Zoo veterinarians performed a comprehensive neonatal exam on the calf, who appeared healthy and alert.
The baby has not been named. But the elephant care team has selected four possibilities:
Linh Mai [LIN-my]: spirit blossom. Linh means “spirit” or soul”; Mai refers to the apricot blossom, a flower associated with Tết (Lunar New Year), which begins Feb. 17.
Thảo Nhi [TOW-nee]: gentle and beloved. Thảo means gentle or kind and is associated with nature; Nhi means small, little one, or beloved.
Tú Anh [TOO-ahng]: Tú means talented or gifted; Anh means bright and intelligent.
Tuyết [TWET]: Traditionally means “snow,” referring to her winter birth.
Starting Tuesday, zoo fans can vote for their favorite name by making a donation of $5 or more on the Zoo’s website [nationalzoo.si.edu].
The zoo said the polls will close at noon on Feb. 13, and the name that receives the most donations will be selected. All funds raised will support Asian elephant care and conservation.
Last year, the zoo had been anticipating the arrival of two elephant babies. Nhi Linh’s mother, Trong Nhi, had also been pregnant, but her pregnancy ended prematurely. Her stillborn calf was delivered Dec. 12.
Monday’s birth is the culmination of the zoo’s more than 15-year project to build a multigenerational herd that could produce offspring and aid in the survival of the endangered Asian elephant.
It could also be a cultural happening in the Washington region, rivaling the attraction of the zoo’s rock-star giant pandas.
“Anybody who’s seen [a baby elephant] knows that you could just watch them for hours,” Smith, the zoo’s director, said last year. “It’s just so much fun.”
The zoo owns all its elephants — including the calf — except for Spike, who is owned by the Miami zoo, where he was born, National Zoo spokeswoman Annalisa Meyer has said.
The zoo, which has had elephants since 1891, hasn’t had one born since the Nov. 25, 2001, birth of its male, Kandula, now at the Oklahoma City Zoo.
The first elephant born at the zoo, a female named Kumari, collapsed and died in 1995 of the lethal elephant endotheliotropic virus. She was 16 months old. Three other elephants have been euthanized in recent years because of old age and painful medical issues
The zoo’s Elephant Cam went offline Jan. 23 as Nhi Linh entered her birth window.
When the elephant calf makes her debut, she will also make her first public appearance on camera, the zoo said.
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