The Smithsonian's National Zoo and Conservation Biology Institute announced on Nov. 24 that one of its Asian elephants is expecting, marking the first time an elephant calf will be born at the zoo in nearly 25 years.
Animal care staff at the zoo, which is located in Washington, D.C., are preparing for the "highly anticipated" birth of an Asian elephant calf, according to a news release. The zoo said its male elephant, Spike, 44, bred with female elephant Nhi Linh, 12, in April 2024.
"Staff are closely monitoring Nhi Linh and are cautiously optimistic she will deliver a healthy calf between mid-January and early March next year," the zoo said in the news release.
Asian elephants, which are an endangered species, are pregnant for an average of 18 to 22 months, according to the zoo. The zoo noted that every birth for the species is "a boon" as there are fewer than 50,000 Asian elephants left in the wild worldwide.
The National Zoo, one of the oldest zoos in the country, has had only two elephant births since its founding in 1889. Asian elephant Kumari, the first elephant to be born at the zoo, was 16 months old when she died in 1995, according to Smithsonian archives.
