One of the newest additions to the Smithsonian’s National Zoo is about to make her public debut next week. WTOP got a sneak peek of the cutest 464 pounds you’ve ever seen.
Linh Mai, the latest Asian elephant calf born at the National Zoo in D.C., is a very punctual young lady, demanding her bottle every two hours.
“She’ll start to bellow and roar as that time approaches if she hasn’t gotten the bottle yet, and then she’s quickly satiated and then goes into play time,” said Tony Barthel, the director of animal care at the National Zoo.
After some initial scares with her digestive system that required a fecal transplant, Barthel said she has been leading an extremely healthy life.
Robbie Clark, the acting curator and elephant manager, said Linh Mai is currently gaining 25 to 30 pounds per week and could reach 1,000 pounds by her first birthday.
“She’s already participating in the beginning stages of our training program here at the zoo, so she recognizes her name,” Clark said. “She’s stationing and targeting, which allows us to move her throughout the facility, make her stand still and hang out with us.”
WTOP observed her running around her indoor habitat playing with large balls, inflatable buoys and darting around exploring the area often looking for her bottle.
When she did finally get that formula from a staff member, she downed a half gallon in under five minutes.
One of her absolute favorite things right now is bath time, according to Clark. Her beauty regiment is enviable.
“Every day she gets a chance to interact in a baby pool with different hoses. She spends about an hour a day doing self-care in the water,” Clark said.
Linh Mai’s mother, Nhi Linh, has not been very maternal, and staff thought she may actually be a danger to the young calf. But she has connected with an older female, Swarna.
“Swarna showed us behavior that says ‘Hey I know what that is. I want to hang out with her.’ And that was an indication to open the door, and Swarna immediately went into a maternal role,” Clark said. “She’s been nothing but patient and resilient with Linh Mai. One of my favorite things is when Linh decides to sleep and Swarna is tired, she’ll go lay down and if she wakes up and realizes Linh hasn’t moved, she’ll get up, walk over to check on her and then go lay back down herself.”
Clark said Swarna is teaching Linh Mai how to be an elephant and to not rely on zoo staff for everything.
Linh Mai is the first Asian elephant calf in D.C. in 25 years, and Clark has called it a big win for the team.
“For the greater Asian elephant population here in North America, every baby elephant counts, and so we’re really excited for our herd to grow,” Clark said.
Linh Mai will be out in the large elephant habitat for the first time on Apr. 22.
“She’ll start to realize that there’s a great big world out there. There’s a lot of exciting things outside and should be a lot of fun,” Clark said.
The National Zoo will also turn the elephant cam back on next Wednesday so you can watch her from home.
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