Key Highlights
- A baby Asian elephant was born in the early hours Monday at the Smithsonian’s National Zoo, a rare arrival marking the zoo’s first elephant birth in nearly 25 years, officials announced. The 308-pound, 38.5-inch calf arrived at 1:15 a. m.
- inside the zoo’s Elephant Trails exhibit, with animal care and veterinary staff on hand to monitor the delivery and the newborn’s first moments.
- The female calf spent those early hours tucked close to its mother, Nhi Linh, a 12-year-old first-time mom that zoo staff say is doing well as she bonds with her baby under the watch of keepers and veterinarians.
- AMERICA’S NATIONAL BIRD LAYS SECOND EGG AT FAMED CALIFORNIA NEST AS NESTING SEASON CONTINUES An Asian elephant calf is suspended from ropes by staff members guiding her to walk shortly after being born at the Smithsonian's National Zoo in Washington, D. C.
- (Smithsonian's National Zoo via YouTube) Zoo officials described the birth as a rare and joyful milestone not only for the National Zoo, but for Asian elephant conservation more broadly."After waiting nearly 25 years for an Asian elephant calf, this birth fills us with profound joy," said Brandie Smith, the John and Adrienne Mars director of the National Zoo and Conservation Biology Institute.
