There’s nothing cuter than a baby, especially the four-legged kind. The latest birth that has us excited is the newest addition to the Smithsonian Zoo: a baby elephant.
The Smithsonian’s National Zoo and Conservation Biology Institute (NZCBI) celebrated the birth of an adorable, healthy, female Asian elephant on Feb. 2. The not-so-little tyke weighed in at 308 pounds and stood 38.5 inches tall.
With less than 50,000 Asian elephants in the wild, every baby elephant born is important to the survival and conservation of the species. The Smithsonian zookeepers said they’re happy there’s one more elephant in the world, representing a hopeful future—and they’d been waiting a long time for a new baby to join those numbers. “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 NZCBI.
The Smithsonian Zoo’s day-old female Asian elephant calf explores an enclosure inside the Elephant Barn Feb. 3, 2026.
To help raise money for endangered Asian elephants, the zoo is hosting a special online fundraiser with a fun twist: it’s giving the public a chance to help name the new baby elephant by casting votes between four options.
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The fundraiser ends at noon on Friday, Feb. 13, so get your votes in and counted before it’s too late. Donations of $5 or more are accepted through the zoo’s website. There, you can track how the votes are shaping up and what name is in the lead, and the name with the most donations will be the winner. Each dollar represents one vote, and all money raised goes to support Asian elephant conservation and care, which is part of the zoo’s $23 million fundraising campaign.
The name choices to choose from are:
- Linh Mai [pronounced LIN-my], which means spirit blossom
- Thảo Nhi [pronounced TOW-nee], which means gentle and beloved
- Tú Anh [pronounced TOO-ahng], which means gifted and bright
- Tuyết [pronounced TWET], which means snow and symbolizes her winter birth