NEED TO KNOW

• A baby elephant at the Smithsonian’s National Zoo has befriended another elephant after being rejected by her mom

• Swarna, an older female elephant, is helping zookeepers care for 2-month-old Linh Mai

• The calf, the first elephant born at the zoo in almost 25 years, will make her public debut on April 22

The Smithsonian’s National Zoo has welcomed its first baby elephant in almost 25 years, and she’s already making friends ahead of her public debut.

The Washington, D.C., zoo first announced mom Nhi Linh’s pregnancy in November last year, and Linh Mai was born on Feb. 2, weighing 308 pounds.

She was rejected by her mom, Nhi Linh, shortly after her arrival, according to Washingtonian. As a result, the Asian elephant calf has required 24-hour care from zookeepers, including bottle-feedings every two hours.

Her public debut is scheduled for April 22, and visitors can reserve passes on the zoo’s website.

Robbie Clark, elephant manager and acting curator of the zoo’s Elephant Trails exhibit, told Washingtonian that the team has been “working very, very, very hard, long hours to make sure [Linh Mai] has everything she needs to thrive.”

An older female elephant, Swarna, is aiding the zoo’s staff. She’s helping to raise the calf as keepers continue working to form a bond between Linh Mai — who has already gained over 100 pounds — and her birth mom.

“Although Swarna has never birthed a calf herself, she is a natural when it comes to instinctually caring for one,” the zoo explained in March. “Swarna displays just the right balance of ‘maternal care’ along with giving Linh Mai some independence.”

Despite her mom’s rejection, Linh Mai appears to have had a positive start to life. “She’s incredibly smart and curious,” Clark told Washingtonian, adding, “She definitely has a little personality that’s blossoming. She is rambunctious. She is sassy. She’s playful. She very much loves her bath time. It’s been truly rewarding to get to know her.”

She’s recently been able to put her curiosity into action by exploring outdoor areas ahead of her public debut, which coincides with Earth Day, the outlet reported.

The timing is intended to highlight the vital conservation efforts needed to protect elephants, especially since fewer than 50,000 remain worldwide, according to the World Wide Fund for Nature.

At the time of Linh Mai’s birth, zoo officials said they hoped the calf would provide more genetic diversity to the captive elephant population in North America.

Linh Mai’s arrival has already touched hearts and drawn comparisons to Punch the monkey, who went viral earlier this year after being rejected by his mom and having a stuffed orangutan as his only monkey friend.

Punch struggled to connect with the other monkeys at Ichikawa City Zoo in Ichikawa, Japan, after being hand-reared by zookeepers.

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Several weeks after introducing Punch to his monkey troop, the zoo told fans that more monkeys were starting to play with and look after Punch. “Because of this, the time [he] spends away from his stuffed toy has increased,” the Japanese zoo explained.

Read the original article on People