Reid Park Zoo Welcomes Tsavo the African Elephant
Reid Park Zoo is excited to announce a big addition: Tsavo the African Elephant.
“Tsavo is a wonderful addition to Reid Park Zoo and we cannot wait to get to know him better as he makes our Zoo home,” said Nancy Kluge, Reid Park Zoo’s President & CEO.
Tsavo is a 16-year-old male elephant known for his bold personality. He joins Reid Park Zoo’s herd of five female elephants on a recommendation from the AZA African Elephant Species Survival Plan ® (SSP). The SSP works cooperatively with other zoos to maximize the health, well-being, and genetic diversity of the species.
Moves such as this closely mimic the natural behavior of wild elephants where male elephants commonly move between herds while female elephants raise their calves in family groups.
Tsavo is doing well, settling into his new habitat, and getting to know his new care team. As he becomes more comfortable, he will begin to get to know the rest of the herd: Semba, mother to Nandi, Penzi and Meru, and Lungile, who acts as an allomother to the younger calves.
Tsavo is at times visible on the Zoo Cams and in the distance on the far-side of the elephant habitat. Stay tuned for future updates as Tsavo gets to know the rest of the elephant herd and explores more visible areas of the elephant habitat.
All the animals that call Reid Park Zoo home, including Tsavo, are ambassadors for their species in the wild. Reid Park Zoo is proud to participate in the AZA Species Survival Plan for African elephants.
Additionally, every guest who visits the Zoo contributes to the protection of elephants in the wild. For more than 15 years, Reid Park Zoo has supported the Tarangire Conservation Research Program. This program has conserved over three million acres of elephant habitat in Africa and has led anti-poaching efforts. The Zoo also contributes to global research on elephant care, as well as the study and mitigation of the often fatal elephant virus known as EEHV.
