There’s a lot to do when a newborn is on the way, from doctor appointments to nursery set-up and more. But when that baby is 308 pounds and 21 months in the making, preparations rise to a new level. Born in February, Linh Mai is the Smithsonian’s National Zoo and Conservation Biology Institute’s first Asian elephant calf in nearly 25 years, and George Mason alumna Ashley Fortner, BS Integrative Studies ’17, has been there every rambunctious step of the way.
An Elephant Trails keeper with the National Zoo since 2019, she’s formed close bonds with the herd of now seven elephants, but she’d never worked with a calf. “It still doesn’t feel real,” she said. “Linh Mai is perfect.”
