Asian elephants are endangered in the wild, where perhaps only 30,000 still live in forests of south and southeast Asia. They are endangered in North American zoos, too. That's why the 2001 birth of Kandula, the result of artificial insemination, was such a triumph.
This young male represents a major effort by the National Zoo to develop a herd of breeding Asian elephants, build a new Zoo habitat called Elephant Trails for these majestic animals, and help to save populations both in zoos and in the wild through science and conservation initiatives.
Last spring, we began construction on Elephant Trails, an innovative new home for our Asian elephants. We have already made a lot of progress and are on schedule to complete phase one this year.
See a construction slideshow.
In 2009, we aim to complete the Elephant Exercise Trek, a state-of-the-art trail through one of the Zoo’s most beautiful, wooded areas. We need your help to complete it. Find out how you can be a trail blazer and how we'll thank you.
Shanthi, one of the Zoo's female elephants, was artificially inseminated in early June. We should know if she is pregnant in August. Kandula, the Zoo's seven-year-old male elephant, was the fifth elephant in the world conceived by artificial insemination.
An elephant birth would bolster the decreasing population of Asian elephants in North America and is an important step toward creating a multigenerational herd at the National Zoo. Elephant Trails, the new exhibit scheduled to open in 2011, will accommodate such a social grouping.
Spotlight on Vet Medicine: An Anemic Elephant
Find out how Zoo keepers, veterinarians, and scientists diagnosed and treated Ambika, one of the oldest elephants in North America.
Read a previous elephant update.
A healthy diet, enrichment items, training, and family herd interactions keep the Zoo’s elephants happy and stimulated. Read the full story.
What is Elephant Trails? A Campaign to Save Asian Elephants! more
Web Cam Is Offline | |
The elephant web cams are unavailable during the renovation of our elephant habitats. Check our updates to find out how Elephant Trails construction is going. We apologize for any inconvenience. |
Mammal Mystery
What animal scales rocks in Africa and is related to elephants but weighs just a few pounds? Find out.
Elephant Enigma
How do you get a four-ton animal to open up and say, "Ahhh"? Find out.
Asian Elephant Neighbors
In Asia, elephants may share broadly overlapping ranges
with tigers, sloth bears, clouded leopards,
and other Zoo species. Thousands of years ago, Asian elephants
and giant pandas may have met. Asia
Trail brings these species together at
the National Zoo.
Other Elephants
One species of elephant lives in Asia, while two different
species live in Africa: the
savanna elephant and the forest elephant.
The savanna elephant, which you may see in many zoos, ranges through open habitats in eastern and southern Africa, while the forest elephant occupies central and west African forests, such as those in Gabon. Only recently did scientists decide, based on DNA studies, that these two forms were indeed distinct species. more