In a monumental discovery that revealed a sad and stunning truth, a gold prospector in the Yukon, Canada, unearthed the mummified body of a baby mammoth. The find was made on June 21, 2022, in the Klondike gold fields on the traditional territory of the Trʼondëk Hwëchʼin First Nation. The baby mammoth, a female, was nicknamed “Nun cho ga,” which means “big baby animal” in the Hän language.

The incredible state of the baby mammoth’s body is a direct result of the unique conditions of her death and the Siberian permafrost. Researchers believe she was a young calf, possibly only a month old, who got separated from her herd and became trapped in the soft, muddy ground. She likely died of suffocation, and the mud quickly encased her, protecting her from scavengers.

The discovery of Nun cho ga is not just a scientific milestone but a profound cultural and historical event. The Trʼondëk Hwëchʼin First Nation, on whose land she was found, views her as a spiritual ancestor, and they have been a central part of the respectful process of her preservation and study. Nun cho ga has provided invaluable insights into the life of the woolly mammoth, from her diet (a piece of grass was found in her stomach) to her cause of death.