18 May 2023
WICHITA, Kan. (KSNW) — The Sedgwick County Zoo (SCZ) is getting a new bull elephant to help make baby African elephants.
Callee, a male at Omaha’s Henry Doorly Zoo, has already proven himself in the mating game.
“Callee is responsible for multiple elephant pregnancies at Omaha Zoo,” Lauren Ripple, SCZ elephant manager, said in a news release. “So we’re very excited to introduce him to the females in our herd.”
Even though SCZ has six females and two males, it has never had a baby elephant. Ajani, one of the males, was brought to SCZ from another zoo in 2018 for a breeding recommendation, but there have not been any pregnancies yet.
The Association of Zoos and Aquariums’ African Elephant Species Survival Plan recommended that Wichita get Callie for breeding.
SCZ says moving Callie from Omaha to Wichita is similar to what happens in the wild. Male elephants find females to breed with and then move on shortly after, while the females stay together, living in multi-generational family groups.
The number of African elephants in the wild has dropped due to poaching and trafficking for the illegal ivory trade.
If SCZ can successfully breed them, it will help protect the population of African elephants in the U.S. for generations to come.
The new bull elephant is expected to arrive this spring. The travel arrangements are still being coordinated.
At 9 feet tall and 10,000 pounds, Callee is slightly smaller than SCZ’s largest elephant, Ajani, 9.5 feet tall and 11,000 pounds.
SCZ has the third-largest elephant habitat in the country, with five acres of outdoor space, an indoor facility, and a 550,000-gallon pool.