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The Votes Are In: National Zoo’s First Elephant Calf In Decades Now Has Her Name
She had a tiny trunk and a very big debut. Now, DC’s newest elephant finally has a name.
For the first time in nearly 25 years, the Smithsonian’s National Zoo and Conservation Biology Institute welcomed an Asian elephant calf at 1:15 a.m. on Monday, Feb. 2, inside the Elephant Barn in Washington, DC.
Nearly two weeks later, zoo officials announced the 308-pound female now answers to Linh Mai.
The name, chosen by the public through a fundraising vote, means “spirit blossom.”
Linh means “spirit” or “soul,” and Mai refers to the apricot blossom, a flower associated with Tết, the …
Tiny Trunk, Huge News: National Zoo Welcomes First Baby Asian Elephant In 25 Years (Video)
It's a girl!
For the first time in nearly 25 years, the Smithsonian’s National Zoo and Conservation Biology Institute is celebrating the birth of an Asian elephant, after a healthy female calf arrived in the early morning hours on Monday, Feb. 2, officials announced.
The calf was born at 1:15 a.m. inside the Elephant Barn to first-time mother Nhi Linh, 12, following a 21-month pregnancy, according to the Zoo. The father is Spike, 44, whose genes — like Nhi Linh’s — are considered critical to strengthening the endangered species’ genetic diversity.
“This birth fills us with profo…
Dead Snakes, Seahorses Seized From Travelers At Washington Dulles Airport
Snakes, snake oil, sea horses, prohibited pork, and snail ointment were seized from travelers at Washington Dulles International Airport this month, officials said.
The first traveler, who arrived on Aug. 1 from Vietnam, was destined to Fairfax, and referred to a secondary baggage examination, U.S. Customs and Border Protection announced.
CBP agriculture specialists and U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) inspectors discovered prohibited pork, but also found 77 dry seahorses, five jars of snail ointment, and five dead snakes.
The import of the seahorses, snakes, and snail oint…
