Oregon Zoo’s new elephant baby is ‘really keeping mom on her toes’.
Asian elephant Rose-Tu’s 2-day-old calf explores Elephant Lands.Michael Durham
At only 4 days old, the Oregon Zoo’s newest elephant calf is already Portland’s most famous, beloved resident of the year.
Sure, Rose-Tu’s tiny, trunked baby may not have a name yet. (The zoo’s elephant keepers all submitted their picks, decision pending!) And we may not even know its sex. (Staff are pretty sure it’s a girl, but won’t know for sure until its first checkup.)
But those details haven’t stopped all of Portland — plus the hosts of the “Today” show — from deeming the calf, who was born at 4:29 p.m. Saturday, the “cutest animal of 2025.” Cuter, even, than 2024’s internationally adored pygmy hippopotamus Moo Deng.
When you’re a baby, anything you do is cause for celebration.
Steve Lefave, who oversees the Oregon Zoo’s elephant area, said so himself when reporters flocked to the zoo Monday morning to meet Rose-Tu and her new baby.
“Everything’s new,” he said while the 200-pound elephant calf wandered around by its mother’s feet in Forest Hall, “and that’s fun to watch.”
Asian elephant Rose-Tu’s 2-day-old calf explores Elephant Lands.Michael Durham
The latest update from Lefave is just as sweet, offering a glimpse into the wide-eyed, tufted calf’s emerging character.
“Rose-Tu and her baby continue to do well,” he said in a press release Wednesday afternoon. “The calf is a quick learner with an outgoing personality, and has great trunk control for such a young age. This baby’s really keeping mom on her toes.”
A video shows the calf stumbling around the zoo’s indoor elephant habitat, nursing from Rose-Tu and butting trunk-first into the camera. Not even one week old and already a star!
Asian elephant Rose-Tu’s 2-day-old calf nurses in Elephant Lands.Michael Durham