A fourth elephant joins Trails of Africa

Tamani, a six-year-old African bull elephant, has joined the Trails of Africa herd at the Birmingham Zoo after arriving from Tampa’s Lowry Park Zoo.

Tamani is the youngest and smallest of the African male elephants, or “bulls,” in the Trails of Africa area. He who was born on October 17, 2005, weighs in at approximately 3,855 pounds and is 6 feet tall. Tamani eats over 100 pounds of produce and hay every day.

Tamani is rotated on exhibit between the Trails of Africa Boma Yard and the main yard of Trails of Africa. The goal is for all four elephants to be in the main yard after June 30.

Trails of Africa provides avenues to research male elephant issues by recreating African bull elephants’ natural habitat and studying how they evolve as a herd. For now, Zoo staff are primarily focusing on behavioral observation and research.

The addition of Tamani to the Trails of Africa herd will allow Zoo staff to research how a younger male elephant develops and interacts with older bulls. Blood samples are taken from the Trails of Africa elephants every week in order to test the levels of various hormones, such as testosterone and cortisol.

The elephants’ behavior correlates with staff observations as it relates to the animals’ hormone levels. The presence of all males provides unique research opportunities to benefit African bull elephant conservation.

In addition to familiarizing himself with all the smells and sounds of Birmingham, Tamani has met and gotten acquainted with his fellow herd members: Ajani, age 11; Callee, age 11; and Bulwagi, age 31.

The elephants were first “howdied” (introduced with a safety barrier in place) in the Large Animal Information and Research (LAIR) facility and later introduced without a barrier. Since then, Tamani continues to get acquainted with Ajani, Bulwagi and Callee.

For more information on the Birmingham Zoo and Trails of Africa, visit www.birminghamzoo.com.