Asian elephant calf successfully born at Smithsonian’s National Zoo

A female Asian elephant calf was born at Smithsonian’s National Zoo on Monday.

The new calf was born at 1:15 a.m., and is the offspring of male Spike, 44, and female Nhi Linh, 12.

The zoo is taking donations for the right to vote on the newborn’s name.

Nhi Linh’s pregnancy, first announced in November, lasted 21 months, and the new calf is the first for either elephant; Spike sired three other calves at other zoos who did not survive, the National Zoo said.

The new calf will now spend a month out of the public eye bonding with her mother and other members of the zoo’s Asian elephant herd, officials said. At birth, she weighed 308 pounds and was 38.5 inches tall.

The baby is also the first new elephant to be born at the National Zoo in nearly 25 years, the last being the male Kandula, who was born in 2001. Kandula was sent to the Oklahoma City Zoo in 2015.

From Tuesday through Feb. 13, the zoo is soliciting donations to pick among four names for the new elephant. The minimum donation is $5, with each dollar being equivalent to one vote.

The names in consideration are all taken from Vietnamese, like Nhi Linh’s name. The options are Linh Mai, Thao Nhi, Tu Anh and Tuyet, each name having a specific meaning, zoo officials said.

“Linh” means spirit, and “Mai” represents the apricot blossom, a symbol of the Lunar New Year, which starts on Feb. 17. “Thao” can mean gentle or kind, while “Nhi” means beloved, small or little one. “Tu” means gifted or talented and “Anh” means intelligent or bright. “Tuyet,” a word for snow, signifies the calf’s birth in winter, officials said.

“After waiting nearly 25 years for an Asian elephant calf, this birth fills us with profound joy. … What we learn from our elephants in D.C. directly strengthens our work to protect wild Asian elephants across Southeast Asia. I’m incredibly proud of our team, whose expertise made this moment possible for Nhi Linh and for all of us,” said Smithsonian’s National Zoo and Conservation Biology Institute Director Brandie Smith.