National Zoo Welcomes First Baby Asian Elephant in 25 Years and She's Precious
It's not every day that we get such amazing news: There's a new baby in town. The little elephant, Linh Mai, was born in February at the National Zoo and will finally be revealed on April 22. She's literally the cutest thing ever.
This video follows CNN, who got to go behind the scenes to meet her early. At the start of the clip, we learn one adorable thing about her right away: She already knows her name and comes running when you call her. In the piece, we also get to see her absolutely destroy her lunch of elephant milk substitute.
The caption tells us more about this special encounter, "Meet the first baby Asian elephant born at the National Zoo in 25 years. CNN's Dana Bash describes it as "one of the coolest things" she's ever done. She gets the exclusive opportunity to meet & feed the Smithsonian National Zoo's newest addition, Asian elephant Linh Mai. Dana learns about the 440-pound, 2-month-old baby and gives her a special treat..."
@cnn Meet the first baby Asian elephant born at the National Zoo in 25 years CNN's Dana Bash describes it as "one of the coolest things" she's ever done. She gets the exclusive opportunity to meet & feed the Smithsonian National Zoo's newest addition, Asian elephant Linh Mai. Dana learns about the 440-pound, 2-month-old baby and gives her a special treat. Dana takes you behind the scenes and inside Linh Mai's journey and the Smithsonian's efforts to conserve these endangered giants.
original sound - CNN
The comments were flooded with love for the baby pachyderm. "Now I am crying over baby elephants," top comment from @ooohhitskaren.63 stated. You're guaranteed tears from watching precious Linh Mai. @stellarduchess added, "Listen, I have an absolute need to feed this baby a bottle of milk. I will be there in two hours." Sign us up, too!
Related: Baby Elephant Practicing for the World Cup Is on Fire
Why is Linh Mai so special?
Linh Mai's mom, Nhi Linh, was pregnant for 21 months before delivering safely in the Elephant Barn, helped by zookeepers and other members of her herd who were nearby. Unfortunately, Nhi Linh rejected baby Mai shortly after birth. No one knows why, but zoo staff are working to safely integrate the two of them eventually. In the meantime, the baby elephant's "auntie," Swarna, has stepped in to help raise her up.
The zookeeper in the video explains more about her status as the latest baby of an endangered species. "Every baby elephant counts." Of the 30 to 50 thousand Asian elephants left about half live under human care. That means it takes all of us, and baby Linh Mai, to help save this remarkable species.
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This story was originally published April 17, 2026 at 11:41 AM.