On February 2, a little Asian elephant calf named Linh Mai was born but it wasn’t long before her mother displayed signs of “aggression” towards her and they had to be separated, reminding people of Punch the monkey
A baby Asian elephant has been rejected by her mother, leaving people’s hearts “breaking” as the little calf draws comparisons to Punch, the monkey who was famously rejected by his mother and became attached to a plush toy instead.
Elephant calf Linh Mai was born on February 2 at the Smithsonian’s National Zoo and Conservation Biology Institute in Washington, D.C., USA. She was the first elephant calf to be born at the facility in 25 years. Following a public vote, she was given the name Linh Mai at 11 days old, which is Vietnamese for “spirit blossom”. Elephants are very social creatures and the zoo always planned for her to be “raised by her mother within her multigenerational herd” but, unfortunately, her mother Nhi Linh and her grandmother Trong Nhi displayed signs of aggression towards her.
Zoo staff intervened and separated Linh Mai from these adults and, thankfully, her “helpful auntie” Swarna stepped in to show the little calf the ropes. Elephants learn social cues and survival skills from their mothers and other females in their herd, making Linh Mai’s integration vital.
In an update shared on its website, the zoo said: “Although we are encouraged by the recent behaviours we are seeing, there is still a long road ahead.”
The zoo has facilitated “safe” access between Linh Mai and her mother and grandmother, with barriers between them to prevent any danger coming to the little calf while still allowing them to get close to one another.
Until then, she has Swarna to guide her. The zoo explained: “Linh Mai’s relationship with her ‘auntie’ Swarna has blossomed into something special. Swarna has stepped right in as an amazing guardian for Linh Mai.
“Although Swarna has never birthed a calf herself, she is a natural when it comes to instinctually caring for one.”
It added that the adult elephant “displays just the right balance of ‘maternal care’ along with giving Linh Mai some independence”.
The zoo aims to fully integrate Linh Mai into the rest of the herd over time – but her rejection has caused upset among countless people online.
When the zoo took to Instagram to share a video compilation of Linh Mai walking around her enclosure and interacting with an adult male elephant as well as with Swarna, people were quick to question how her relationship with her mother was developing.
One person simply asked: “How is her relationship with her mom? Any better?”
Another commented: “It seems as if maternal rejection happens often in the animal world, I’d like to know why? Anyone?”
One Instagram user said: “My heart is breaking!”
But another saw the positive side of the situation and added: “So sweet to see Swama step up as a surrogate Mom for Linh Mai when her bio-mom rejected her.”
The zoo has described Linh Mai as “playful, curious and a little bit sassy” and “a bundle of energy”. It confirmed she will “make her public debut on April 22”, which is, somewhat appropriately, Earth Day.
