The Smithsonian’s National Zoo welcomes an Asian Elephant calf to their herd — the first in almost 25 years!

Watchers, in honor of today’s (U.S.) holiday, we’re celebrating another birth announcement from the nation’s capital. Yes, we’re back to the Smithsonian’s National Zoo and Conservation Biology Institute (NZCBI) for this week’s cuteness, shared by Tetsemi from the Blizzard Watch Discord. Let’s meet the NZCBI’s newest baby, an Asian elephant of surprising rarity.

The yet-unnamed female calf was born overnight on February 2 at the Smithsonian’s National Zoo, “healthy, alert, and bright-eyed.” The care team began monitoring a week before, after hormone changes in mother Nhi Linh indicated the event was nigh following a 21 month pregnancy (right in the middle of the species’ standard 18-22 month range). This baby is a double milestone — the first calf born to the 12-year-old mother and the first Asian elephant calf born in almost 25 years.

The zoo will be announcing the calf’s name in the near future after soliciting votes to four options via their donations website (voting ended Feb. 13). The name options are inspired by Nhi Linh’s Vietnamese name:

• • 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,” referencing her winter birth.

The zoo announced the milestone pregnancy on November 24, 2025. The pregnancy followed a breeding recomendation from the Association of Zoos and Aquariums’ Species Survival Plan (SSP), matching Nhi Linh with the 44-year-old father, Spike (on loan from Zoo Miami). The match and birth is a huge success for expanding the genetic diversity of Asian elephants.

Asian elephants are an Endangered species on the IUCN‘s Red List, with a heavily debated global population observed in a downward trend. They reside in the forests, shrublands, and grasslands of a variety of Asian countries across South and Southeast Asia. Their biggest threats are habitat loss and fragmentation, human-elephant conflict, and the poaching (and subsequent trade) of the species.

The calf will spend the next month or so bonding with Nhi Linh, their herd, and the zoo’s keepers in the Elephant Barn, an off-exhibit area attached to the zoo’s Elephant Community Center. There will also be intermittent closures to the community center to promote quiet during the bonding period. If you’d like to stay on top of updates about the new calf, check out the Smithsonian’s National Zoo and Conservation Biology Institute on social media: Facebook, Instagram, X (formerly Twitter), YouTube. The calf will make her debut on the zoo’s Elephant Cam along with her public debut at the Zoo.

All photos by Roshan Patel, Smithsonian’s National Zoo and Conservation Biology Institute.