Asian elephant News

August is Asian Elephant Awareness Month, and we’re celebrating with stories and fun facts about this endearing—and critically endangered—species.

Our male Asian elephant, Spike, looks a little different. The 42-year-old bull recently underwent a routine tusk trim! Get the story from curator Tony Barthel.

They’re spunky, opinionated and enjoy splashing in a cool pool on a hot summer day. Who are these playful pachyderms? Our Asian elephants, Trong Nhi and Nhi Linh! Get to know their personalities and quirks from Elephant Trails keepers Rebecca Riley and Ashley Fortner.

Tune in to the ele-FUN! Watch our 9-year-old Asian elephant, Nhi Linh, play with a weeble-wobble enrichment toy.

Let’s get ready to rumble, trumpet and stomp! Ever since Asian elephants Trong Nhi and Nhi Linh made their debut at the Elephant Trails habitat.

Two new female Asian elephants, 19-year-old Trong Nhi (trong-nEE) and her daughter, 9-year-old Nhi Linh (nEE-lin), are now on public view at the Smithsonian’s National Zoo and Conservation Biology Institute (NZCBI) in Washington, D.C., having completed quarantine following their Nov. 7 arrival...

The Smithsonian’s National Zoo and Conservation Biology Institute community is celebrating the arrival two female Asian elephants, 19-year-old Trong Nhi and her daughter, 9-year-old Nhi Linh, to Washington, D.C.

When female Asian elephant Swarna joined our herd in May 2014, her routine tooth exams showed an unusual shape and wear pattern on her teeth. Elephant dentistry specialists joined the Zoo’s team to remove the culprit tooth.

Get a taste of the challenges animal nutritionist Erin Kendrick faces as she formulates diets for all animals at the Smithsonian’s National Zoo.

Keepers can learn a lot about an animal’s needs just by monitoring its weight. But how do you weigh a wiggly ferret or get a full-grown elephant onto a scale? Find out in this update from primate keeper Erin Stromberg.

Raise your trunks for the world’s largest land mammal: the elephant! Find out how animal keeper, Rebecca Riley, cares for Smithsonian’s National Zoo’s Asian elephant herd.

How do you create a menu that is pleasing to the palates of giant pandas, flamingos and fishing cats?

How do animal keepers take a blood sample from an elephant or examine a big cat's teeth? Find out how training helps keepers care for animals that they can't share a physical space with in this update.

The Smithsonian’s National Zoo and Conservation Biology Institute community is mourning the loss of Shanthi, beloved member of its Asian elephant herd and ambassador for her species. After decades of managing and treating Shanthi’s osteoarthritis, animal care staff recently noted that her physical...

The Zoo cares for five female Asian elephants from a few different family groups. Luckily, there are a few things that keepers can do to encourage them to build positive relationships. Learn more in this update from keeper Kayleigh Sullivan.

Chirping cheetah cubs, a birthday party fit for a gorilla and a Madagascar hedgehog tenrec indulging in some self-care with a dust bath—all of these events (and more) made for an eventful month.

The Smithsonian’s National Zoo community is mourning the loss of Ambika, the beloved eldest member of its Asian elephant herd. She was humanely euthanized yesterday, March 27, following a recent and irreversible decline in her health.

As the Smithsonian’s National Zoo rang in the new year, the elephant team celebrated another revolution around the sun for (now) 45-year-old female Asian elephant, Shanthi.

An update on Asian elephant Shanthi's osteoarthritis.

Female Asian elephant Maharani is turning 29 years old Sunday, July 14, and we are celebrating with her favorite thing—food!

Large animals, like the Asian elephants, have evolved to grow and mature at a different rate than many smaller species monitored by organizations like the International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN).

Like many aging animals, Asian elephant Shanthi has osteoarthritis. She was first diagnosed with the chronic condition when she was in her teens. Zoo keepers and veterinarians have spent decades successfully managing her disease with multi-modal therapies.

The Smithsonian’s National Zoo was created in 1889 and opened its doors in 1891. To celebrate its 130th anniversary, look back at how the Zoo has evolved through the years.

When Asian elephant Swarna needed her teeth examined, animal keepers tried something that had never been done at the Zoo before. Over two months, they trained the 44-year-old elephant to voluntarily participate in dental radiographs!

Learn all about studying elephant personalities in this Q&A with Shifra Goldenberg, a research associate with the Smithsonian Conservation Biology Institute’s Conservation Ecology Center.