Did you know that there isn’t just one but TWO new baby animals recently born at the Smithsonian Zoo in Washington, DC?
The Smithsonian Zoo
Baby Elephant
Baby Red Panda
The Smithsonian Zoo
The Smithsonian Zoo is located in Washington DC and is part of the Smithsonian institution, which means that it is free to enter, similar to the Smithsonian Natural Museum and many of the other local museums. However, they do require for you to get a ticket prior to entering which can be done either online or using the QR code once you arrive.
The Smithsonian Zoo has a range of animals from monkeys, wild cats, farm animals, zebras, bears, seals, elephants and more. It’s a great family outing with easy metro accessibility. The pandas typically get the most attraction, which are on loan from China- but all the animals are great to see!
Baby Elephant
There are multiple places where the elephants can roam. At the African trail, right before the birds- there is a bridge where you can look over and see one of the elephant enclosures with a water hole and pretty large area. As of July 2026, the baby elephant according to a passerby is a “very obviously a baby.” Someone had asked if the elephant we were looking at was the “baby” because how fast do they grow? Could it be a big baby? But at least when we went, there wasn’t a confusion!
Linh Mai was born on February 2nd, 2026. Her name translates in Vietnamese to “spirit blossom” and was in fact the first Asian elephant born at this zoo in nearly 25 years, which if you ask me- is QUITE impressive! She was born at 308 pounds after a 21-month gestation period. (Elephant pregnancies are about 22 months long, so for elephants, this is not out of the ordinary).
Her mother, Nhi Linh unfortunately rejected her once she was born, which is not uncommon with first time elephant mothers. The zoos elephant team took care of her 24-hours a day with bottle feedings, special milk replacement, etc. Since then, she is thriving- showing intelligence, curiosity and even splashing in pools!
Possibly one of my favorite facts about baby elephants is that they don’t actually know how to use their trunk in the start of their life and need guidance from other elephants to learn the purpose of it (and to stop tripping over it LOL) Linh Mai has been guided by Swarna and Bozie, who are older elephants and act as “aunties” to Linh Mai, teaching her “trunk skills,” communication and social behaviors. Eventually, the zoo keepers will try and encourage bonding between Linh Mai and her mother.
Asian elephants are critically endangered, with fewer than 50,000 remaining in the wild, meaning that Linh Mai is not only an adorable additive, but a needed additive!
https://washingtonian.com/2026/04/15/national-zoo-elephant-linh-mai/
Baby Red Panda (not expected to join the zoo)
Red pandas are definitely my favorite animals. Whether it’s their “scary” stance or the fact that they use their own tails as a pillow when sleeping in trees, they absolutely just steal my heart. They’re cute, fluffy and just a bundle of “awwh”s!
Kuna was born at the zoo’s Front Royal in the Virginia conservation facility on September 20th of 2025 (which ironically also happens to be International Red Panda Day!
Kuna’s mother is Keahi, who is attentive and protective of her. Her father, on the other hand, is Rocket (I think I know where they got that name!) who is apparently not involved in parenting at all… which made me laugh a little… I suppose it transends species… although I know a lot of dads are excellent and attentive to their kids… Photo Credit
Keahi will care for Kuna until Spring or possibly summer of 2026. They still cuddle at night but Kuna will explore on her own during the day.
You may notice that Kuna has lighter fur than most red pandas. This is purely due to her age. She is expected to get that darker red later on in life as she continues to mature. Behaviorally, she is doing well and learning how to behave and play as the little red panda she is.
Red pandas are considered to be endangered animals and are native to the high forests of Asia. Contrary to their name- they are not closely related to giant pandas, but more closely related to raccoons. The Smithsonian’s National Zoo participates in breeding and conservation programs to help protect this species.
I seem to rarely be able to see the red pandas whenever I visit the zoo, but we did catch one sleeping inside. It should be noted that I included Kuna because of the Smithsonians’ involvement and being born at one of their sites, but she is not expected to join the DC Zoo.
Sources: https://www.si.edu/object/meet-kuna-national-zooaposs-6-month-old-red-panda:yt_zUqLtbL5rHw
Cheers friends & Travelers!
~Sho, Founder of Backroad Butterflies ~
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