National Zoo’s First Baby Elephant in 25 Years Was Rejected — Now She’s Ready to Meet Visitors
Linh Mai weighed 308 pounds when she arrived. Her mother wanted nothing to do with her. And the team keeping her alive hasn’t stopped since.
A critically endangered Asian elephant calf named Linh Mai was born at Smithsonian’s National Zoo on Feb. 2, marking the zoo’s first elephant birth in nearly 25 years, according to zoo officials. Her public debut is scheduled for April 22 — Earth Day — with a limited preview available to zoo members before that date.
A 308-Pound Newborn and a Round-the-Clock Rescue
Linh Mai was born to mother Nhi Linh after nearly two years of pregnancy, weighing approximately 308 pounds at birth. But what should have been a straightforward bonding moment between mother and calf quickly became a crisis: Nhi Linh rejected her shortly after birth.
Since then, Linh Mai has required 24-hour human care. She is being bottle-fed formula every two hours and is under constant supervision by zookeepers.
“Our team is working very, very, very hard, long hours to make sure she has everything she needs to thrive,” Robbie Clark, elephant manager and acting curator of the zoo’s Elephant Trails, told the Washingtonian. “It’s one of the most exhausting things that I’ve ever had to do.”
Clark shared a detail that captures just how determined the young calf already is: “A lot of people ask if we burp her, and no, we don’t. But she has such a grip on drinking her bottles now that she actually collapses the bottle to get as much milk as she can. We have to constantly break the seal.”
The effort is paying off. Per the Washingtonian, Linh Mai has already gained more than 100 pounds and is expected to gain one to two pounds per day over the next year.
Sassy, Rambunctious and Getting to Know Herself
Despite the rocky start, Linh Mai is developing a personality that her caretakers clearly adore. Clark described the calf as “incredibly smart and curious.”
“She definitely has a little personality that’s blossoming,” Clark said. “She is rambunctious. She is sassy. She’s playful. She very much loves her bath time. It’s been truly rewarding to get to know her.”
An older female elephant, Swarna, has stepped into a caregiving role, helping to rear the calf. Meanwhile, zookeepers are working to gradually establish a bond between Linh Mai and her mother, Nhi Linh — a delicate process that continues alongside the calf’s daily care.
An Earth Day Debut With a Conservation Message
Linh Mai will be viewable by the general public beginning April 22, according to zoo officials. She has recently begun exploring outdoor areas accessible to visitors, a milestone in her development.
The timing of her Earth Day debut is no accident. It’s intended to highlight conservation efforts for a species under serious threat. According to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, there are an estimated 30,000 to 50,000 Asian elephants remaining in the wild, with populations declining due to habitat loss, human-elephant conflict and poaching.
A baby elephant born at the National Zoo is rare — the last time it happened was roughly 25 years ago. A baby elephant rejected by her mother, hand-raised around the clock by exhausted zookeepers and now gaining more than a pound a day? That’s a story worth knowing about.
Linh Mai is sassy. She crushes her own bottles. She loves bath time. And on Earth Day, she meets the public for the first time.
This article was created by content specialists using various tools, including AI.
