What zoos have herds of both Asian and African elephants?

DavidBrown

Well-Known Member
15+ year member
I was just thinking about zoos and elephants and wondering with all of the new and remodeled elephant exhibits and programs going on around the world, how many zoos have herds of both Asian and African elephants?

There are several US zoos that display one African with Asian elephants, or an Asian and African ele together (Reid Park Zoo, Woodland Park, San Diego Zoo, Louisville), but once new elephant exhibits are built (Reid Park) or the solo African dies or moves presumably that practice will end.

The only zoos that I can think of with herds and the accompanying exhibits for both species are the Berlin Tierpark and San Diego (counting the African herd at the SDSP and the Asian herd at the Zoo). Are there any others?
 
If plans follow suit the Columbus Zoo will have herds of both species after the completion of their future African Savannah, but currently they only exhibit Asians. Now that their breeding bull has passed and their eldest calf is leaving the zoo at the end of the year, the zoo will be left with two cows (only one breeding) and a nearly three-year-old male calf. It will be interesting to see what the future holds for the Asian Elephant program at the Columbus Zoo.
 
I was just thinking about zoos and elephants and wondering with all of the new and remodeled elephant exhibits and programs going on around the world, how many zoos have herds of both Asian and African elephants?

I think you will see less and less of this in future, the reason being there are recommendations, at least in Europe, for Zoos not to keep both species anymore because of possible transference of Elephant Herpes Virus, from Africans to Asians. Particularly where there is a breeding herd of Asians as calves seem very prone to this disease, for which there is no current cure. In Europe very few zoos nowdays exhibit both species, apart from where older animals are living out their lives together.
 
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