Portland’s Oregon Zoo welcomed a new resident over the weekend, a baby Asian elephant who’s already … [+] up and walking.
Michael Durham/Oregon Zoo
The Oregon Zoo in Portland is celebrating the weekend birth of a baby Asian elephant who appears strong and healthy — and already has the internet swooning.
The mom, a 30-year-old named Rose-Tu, gave birth to the calf late Saturday afternoon. While the baby appears to be a female, staff will confirm its sex once they conduct their first check-up. For now, they’re giving mother and child a chance to bond uninterrupted.
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“Rose is a fantastic mom,” Steve Lefave, who oversees the zoo’s elephant program, said in a statement. “She’s so gentle and protective, and the calf is already nursing well. These are signs that they will have a strong bond, which is exactly what we want to see. We’re ready to help if needed, but so far mom and baby are doing just fine on their own.”
The zoo has yet to announce a name for the calf.
Animal births often spark excitement, but this elephant’s arrival is all the more significant given the threats facing Asian elephants, which inhabit the forests and grasslands of India and Southeast Asia, including Sumatra and Borneo. The International Union for Conservation of Nature’s Red List of Threatened Species classifies the elephants as endangered due to a population decline of at least 50% since 1945, over the last three generations.
The IUCN estimates that between 30,000 and 50,000 Asian elephants remain in the wild, and attribute their reduced numbers primarily to habitat loss, poaching and disease.
“While populations of Asian elephants in South Asia are believed to have been relatively stable in the recent past, numbers have plummeted in Vietnam, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar and Indonesian Sumatra,” the IUCN says.
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You Thought A Nine-Month Pregnancy Was Long?
Oregon Zoo staff began closely monitoring Rose-Tu starting on Jan. 29, when her progesterone levels dropped to levels that indicated an imminent labor. She showed signs of active labor a little after 3 p.m. on Saturday, according to the zoo, and gave birth at 4:29 p.m. after more than 20 months of pregnancy.
This marks the third time Rose-Tu has given birth. Her firstborn, 16-year-old Samudra, also lives at the Oregon zoo. Her second, Lily, sadly died of a virus in 2018 before turning 6.
“This was one of the smoothest births I’ve ever seen,” Lefave said of the weekend arrival. “Rose knew just what to do. She helped her baby up right away. The kid was standing on her own within 15 minutes and took her first steps soon after that.”
In the video below, you can see the tyke attempting to stand, its mom towering above it and gently steadying the wobbly little one with her trunk. It doesn’t take long for the calf to gain its footing and begin walking around like a pachyderm pro. And watching it wave its tiny trunk? Positively heart-melting.
Three Days In, A Popular Pachyderm
The internet loves adorable baby animals, and this one is no exception. Social media met news of the birth with glee, showering the infant with affectionate adjectives and congratulating its mom on a job well done.
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Whether the baby elephant will achieve the celebrity status of Moo Deng the viral pygmy hippo remains to be seen. Moo Deng has spawned makeup tutorials, memes and songs and led my Forbes colleague Amanda Kooser to explore the science behind our fascination with baby animals and what it reveals about human nature.
ForbesWhy We Love Moo Deng — The Science Behind Our Obsession With Baby AnimalsBy Amanda Kooser
Stephanie Preston, a professor of psychology at the University of Michigan who studies the neurobiology of empathy and altruism said our obsession with cute little critters could have real-world benefits for them.
“The more exposure people have, the more likely they are to consider it important to conserve the spaces where the species live,” Preston said. “We’re losing species at an alarming rate at this point.”
The University of Oregon’s Board of Trustees voted Tuesday to approve a $1.55 billion operating budget for the next fiscal year.
But they asked university leadership to return with an amended proposal by Dec. 15, when more details about future budget cuts will be known.
FILE — The Board of Trustees recently approved next year’s budget for the University of Oregon. The vote comes several weeks after the school’s president announced that he wants the university to reduce its annual budget as revenues and out-of-state enrollment decline.
Brian Bull / KLCC
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The vote comes several weeks after University of Oregon President Karl Scholz announced that he wants the school to reduce its annual budget by around $65 million.
At a trustees meeting Monday, Scholz said the estimated budget shortfall for next year is just around $23 million. But he said out-of-state enrollment is below historical norms for the second year in a row, and it’s unlikely to bounce back.
“One year can be an aberration. Two years is a pattern,” said Scholz. “And I believe we have to treat it as a new reality.”
Scholz said in May that discussions about the budget would happen over a six-month period. He said no final decisions about cuts would be made over this summer.
On Monday, UO Senate President Dyana Mason told trustees that the Senate had approved a new process to allow for community feedback in the cost-cutting process.
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Mason said the provost will work with the deans on budget proposals, finding “clear rationale” for why programs are considered for elimination.
The provost would then bring those proposals to the Senate Committee for Academic Modifications—which includes staff, faculty and students—for feedback.
Once the plans are nearly finalized, the Senate could then hold a period for public comment.
Mason told trustees that a six-month timeline is better than the three months that frustrated some staff last year, but she recommended taking however much time is necessary.
“The worst situation would be rushing forward to make decisions without appropriate evidence, data, feedback from the people that are most in the know about the impact on our students,” said Mason.
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UO’s Board of Trustees Chair Steve Holwerda said that every week that university delays the decisions could cost them millions of dollars.
Nathan Wilk is a reporter with the KLCC newsroom.This story comes to you from the Northwest News Network, a collaboration between public media organizations in Oregon and Washington.
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Oregon’s juvenile justice system has been reshaped in recent years by a sweeping reform law that changed how the state handles minors accused of serious crimes.
Senate Bill 1008, which took effect in 2020, ended automatic transfers of juveniles into adult court and eliminated life without parole sentences for juveniles. The law also created “second-look” hearings and established parole eligibility after 15 years for certain offenders who committed crimes before turning 18.
To help explain the law and its impact, KVAL’s Frannie Pedersen put together a timeline video tracing the history of Senate Bill 1008, from the passage of Measure 11 in 1994 to the reforms that later reshaped Oregon’s juvenile justice system.
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The video breaks down how the law changed, why lawmakers pushed for reform, and how SB 1008 continues to influence Oregon’s justice system today. Viewers can watch the full video for a detailed timeline and explanation of the changes.
PORTLAND, Ore. — A New Jersey man was sentenced to federal prison last Friday for conspiring to distribute fentanyl, announced U.S. Attorney Scott E. Bradford for the District of Oregon.
Mark T. Eager, 34, was sentenced to 135 months in federal prison and five years of supervised release.
“This defendant showed a blatant disregard for human life by trafficking fentanyl across the United States,” said U.S. Attorney Bradford. “My office will continue to pursue those who profit from poisoning our communities, and we will use every available resource and partnership to combat fentanyl trafficking and keep Oregonians safe.”
“This investigation brought together law enforcement agencies from across the nation,” said Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) Seattle acting Special Agent in Charge April Miller. “Homeland Security Investigations special agents from Portland, Newark, and Houston contributed to the case, along with the Portland Police Bureau and HIDTA HIT officers, who were instrumental in identifying Eager. His 11-year sentence sends a clear message: no matter where you are in the country or the world, if you attempt to sell narcotics online to Americans, we will find you.”
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“Fentanyl trafficking poses a grave threat to communities across the United States, and Homeland Security Investigations is committed to working with our partners to disrupt and dismantle the criminal networks responsible,” said HSI Houston Special Agent in Charge Lucia Cabral-DeArmas. “This case demonstrates the power of interagency collaboration under the Homeland Security Task Force initiative, leveraging resources from across the country to hold traffickers accountable and protect the American people. We will continue to pursue those who endanger lives through the distribution of dangerous synthetic opioids, and we remain steadfast in our mission to safeguard our communities from the violence and instability caused by transnational criminal organizations.”
“By following this offender’s digital trail, Homeland Security Investigations and our law enforcement partners nationwide executed federal search warrants, dismantled an active dark web fentanyl packaging operation and recovered deadly amounts of fentanyl, thousands of dollars in cryptocurrency, and a trove of electronic devices and packaging materials,” said HSI Newark Acting Special Agent in Charge Spiros Karabinas. “This case is a powerful example of how coordinated, data-driven investigations can disrupt dangerous networks and help protect our communities from lethal synthetic opioids.”
According to court documents, from November 2023 through June 2024, Eager and his co-conspirator sold fentanyl on the Dark Net and Telegram. Eager operated as the vendor WRSEH10 and marketed the fentanyl as “China White Synthetic Heroin.”
In June 2024, HSI agents executed search warrants on two residences associated with Eager in Kearny, New Jersey, and seized over 360 grams of powdered fentanyl, counterfeit M30 pills, drug ledgers, cellular phones, two computers, and drug packaging consistent with three deliveries that were sent to Oregon.
On September 4, 2024, a federal grand jury in Portland returned a four-count indictment charging Eager with conspiracy to distribute and possess with intent to distribute fentanyl and distribution of fentanyl.
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On February 4, 2026, Eager pleaded guilty to conspiracy to distribute and possess with intent to distribute fentanyl.
HSI Portland and HSI Houston investigated this case with assistance from HSI Newark, the Portland Police Bureau (PPB) and the High Intensity Drug Trafficking Area (HIDTA) Interdiction Task Force (HIT). Assistant U.S. Attorney Scott Kerin prosecuted the case. The U.S. Attorney’s Office in New Jersey assisted the U.S. Attorney’s in Oregon in obtaining the search warrants that were executed in Kearny.
