Clear your schedules: Portland’s newest, cutest, most famous infant is gearing up to make her public debut at the Oregon Zoo Saturday.

It’s been a private but eventful first two-and-a-half weeks for Tula-Tu, the Asian elephant calf who was born to mom Rose-Tu on Saturday, Feb. 1. Since then, she’s been busy practicing sounds with her tiny, gray trunk and meeting new herd members — for the most part, all from within the privacy of the zoo’s closed-off indoor elephant habitat.

But soon enough, Rose City residents won’t be restricted to the glimpses of the elephant calf posted online or shared via adoring “Today” show segments.

Forest Hall will reopen to the public Friday, meaning Tula-Tu — along with other members of the herd — will be visible to visitors for the first time since the calf was born nearly three weeks ago.

“We know everyone has been eager to see Tula, and we appreciate your patience and cooperation,” said Steve Lefave, who oversees the zoo’s elephant area. “We’re taking things slowly to make sure Rose-Tu and her new calf are completely comfortable.”

The indoor elephant habitat will be open from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. with limited capacity and viewing windows. Zoo staff may also decide to close Forest Hall at times when Rose-Tu and her calf need a bit of alone time.

(Note: The Oregon Zoo’s seasonal hours run through the end of February, open Friday-Monday from 9:30 a.m.-4:30 p.m. with last entry at 3 p.m.)

And there are in fact perks to Portland’s obsession with its new, trunked baby — at least according to University of Michigan psychology professor Stephanie Preston. Asian elephants like Rose-Tu and Tula-Tu are an endangered species, with fewer than 50,000 of its kind living in the wild.

“The more exposure people have,” Preston said in a Feb. 4 Forbes article about Rose-Tu’s calf, “the more likely they are to consider it important to conserve the spaces where the species live.”

So, go pay Tula-Tu a visit. But did you really need any convincing?