At only 4 days old, the Oregon Zoo’s newest elephant calf is already Portland’s most famous, beloved resident of the year.

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.

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.”

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!