Asian elephant calf born at Washington DC zoo for first time in 25 years

A 308 lb (140 kg) female Asian elephant calf was born at the Smithsonian National Zoo in Washington DC at 1:15 a.m. on 2 February, the zoo's first Asian elephant birth in nearly 25 years; the zoo says the calf will spend about a month bonding with her mother and is part of a public naming process funded by $5 donations.

A female Asian elephant calf was born at the Smithsonian's National Zoo in Washington DC at 1:15 a.m. on 2 February. The calf weighed 308 lb (140 kg) at birth and is the zoo's first Asian elephant birth in almost 25 years. She was born to 12-year-old mother Nhi Linh after a reported 21-month pregnancy; her father is 44-year-old Spike. Zoo officials said the calf's genes will help strengthen the managed population's genetic diversity. Key details: - Birth time and date: 1:15 a.m. on 2 February; weight reported at 308 lb (140 kg). - Parents: mother Nhi Linh (age 12) and father Spike (age 44). - Pregnancy length: reported as 21 months; this is Nhi Linh's first calf. - Genetic note: the zoo reported that Nhi Linh and Spike's genes are not well represented in zoos, so the calf will help genetic diversity in North America and beyond. - Public naming: the zoo is holding a naming process in which donations of $5 count as votes; the care team offered four Vietnamese-origin names for the public to support. Summary: The birth marks a notable event for the Smithsonian National Zoo as its first Asian elephant arrival in nearly 25 years and is framed by the zoo as valuable for managed-population genetics. The calf is scheduled to remain with her mother for about a month before a planned public debut, and the zoo has announced a public naming process funded by $5 donations.