According to The Temple Institute: On the 17th day of Elul, 5778, (August 28, 2018), a red heifer (Para Aduma) was born in the land of Israel.
The red heifer candidate is being raised and specially cared for under the auspices of the Temple Institute’s ‘Raise a Red Heifer’ program.
One week after its birth the heifer underwent an extensive examination by rabbinical experts, who determined that the heifer is currently a viable candidate for the Biblical red heifer (Para Aduma) described in Numbers, chapter 19, and will be examined again in three months time to determine whether it continues to possess the necessary qualifications for the red heifer, a necessary prerequisite for the renewal of the Divine service in the Holy Temple.
The rabbinical experts who conducted the examination stress that the heifer, while currently bearing the required qualifications could, at any time in the future, become disqualified through natural causes, and therefore the heifer will be periodically reexamined.