The Smithsonian’s National Zoo and the Conservation Biology Institute announced on Monday that 12-year-old Asian elephant Nhi Linh is pregnant and could give birth to the zoo’s first elephant calf in nearly a quarter-century.
Asian elephant pregnancies last an average of 18 to 22 months, according to the zoo. Staffers are “cautiously optimistic” that Nhi Linh will deliver a healthy calf sometime between mid-January and early March, according to the zoo’s press release.
Spike, a 44-year-old Asian elephant who has been with the zoo since 2018, sired the calf.
“This is huge, and certainly for our facility, we haven’t had a baby on the ground for quite some time,” said Dr. Donald Neiffer, the zoo’s chief veterinarian, in an interview with “Today.”
“Everything right now is pointing to ... we expect a normal delivery,” he added.
