A new 16-year-old African elephant named Titan arrived at Zoo Atlanta this week from Sedgwick County Zoo in Wichita, Kansas.
The 8,200-pound male was born in the south African nation of Eswatini and was originally moved to the U.S. in 2016 as part of a multiorganizational effort to rescue wild elephants affected by life-threatening drought conditions. As a juvenile in Kansas, Titan spent his time in a herd of elephants, learning important social skills.
His move to Atlanta was recommended by the Association of Zoos and Aquariums' African Elephant Species Survival Plan, which saw the move as an opportunity to enrich social dynamics in Atlanta’s herd, which currently includes one other male, adult Msholo, and two adult female elephants, Kelly and Tara.
Titan will be housed in Zoo Atlanta’s $50 million African Savanna, which opened in 2019 and can house up to seven elephants.
The outdoor African Savanna has three large water features, a feeder enrichment activity wall and three swing boom enrichment devices that encourage the elephants to forage for food using their trunks as they would in the wild.
The adjoining indoor Zambezi Elephant Center has a large observation area where zoo visitors can get a behind-the-scenes look at the elephants’ daily care.
“Our hope is that, in getting to know Titan as he becomes a new part of the herd here at the Zoo, our members and guests will have renewed reasons to join us in protecting African elephants, which have a very uncertain future without conservation action,” said Atlanta Zoo president and CEO Raymond B. King in a press release.
Since 2018, Zoo Atlanta has been a significant partner of Conservation South Luangwa, a Zambia-based nonprofit working to protect African elephants and other species .
A comprehensive study conducted between 1964 and 2016 at 475 sites across 37 countries revealed that savanna elephant populations have decreased by approximately 70% and forest elephants by roughly 90%. The decrease is attributed to poaching, the illegal ivory trade and loss of natural habitats.
About the Author
Keep Reading
The Latest
Featured
