Asian elephant News

Ever since 41-year-old Asian elephant Shanthi was diagnosed with arthritis in her front wrists more than a decade ago, animal care staff at the Smithsonian’s National Zoo have been working to minimize the impact of the disease. Staff surmised that arthritic pain led Shanthi to bear weight on her...

Born in Sri Lanka around 1975, Asian elephant Shanthi developed arthritis in her front-left leg more than a decade ago. While there is no cure for arthritis, there are ways to alleviate the symptoms, and our animal care experts have focused on her comfort. We'll be posting the latest information on...

In late-September, our 38-year-old Asian elephant Bozie started displaying colic-like symptoms. Through blood tests, staff discovered that she has a serious infection that is affecting her appetite. Our team has been constantly monitoring Bozie, while also encouraging her to socialize and play with...

Born: November 25, 2001 Sex: Male Weight: Approximately 7,400 pounds. He weighed 324 pounds when he was born. Name: Kandula was named for the most famous elephant in Sri Lanka's history. The original Kandula was a gift to an infant prince 2,150 years ago. The future king and his elephant grew up...

Dr. Janine Brown, a researcher with SCBI and an expert on reproductive hormones, is spending a month in Thailand, lending her expertise to clouded leopard and elephant projects there. Brown is a reproductive physiologist and one of the world’s leading experts on elephants. She has been studying...

How do you keep one of the world’s largest land mammals happy? National Zoological Park’s Janine Brown and a team of collaborators have just completed a large-scale study of the what contributes to elephant wellbeing in human care. Nicknamed the “Happy Elephant Project,” this groundbreaking three...

The National Zoo's three new female Asian elephants—Kamala (39), Swarna (39) and Maharani (23)—made their public debut in one of the outdoor yards on Elephant Trails for the first time Monday, June 23. After arriving at the Zoo May 23, the elephants spent 30 days in quarantine per standard procedure...

Asian elephants Kamala (39), Swarna (39) and Maharani (23) arrived safely at the Smithsonian's National Zoo on May 23, 2014. They are on loan from the Calgary Zoo in Calgary, Alberta, Canada, and will join the Zoo's herd of four Asian elephants Ambika (66), Shanthi (39), Bozie (38) and Kandula (12)...

Our elephant herd is growing again—this time with three female elephants from Calgary Zoo in Alberta, Canada! Next spring, Kamala, Swarna, and Maharani, will arrive here on loan from the Calgary Zoo, expanding our existing herd to seven. Kamala and Swarna were born in the wild around 1975 and came...

Bozie, a 37-year-old female Asian elephant, made her debut in the Elephant Community Center today. She arrived at the Zoo on May 22 and spent 30 days in quarantine per standard procedure. Introductions between Bozie and her two female companions—Ambika (65) and Shanthi (38)—continue to go well...

On Friday, June 21—Bozie's last day of quarantine—she got access to almost the entire barn. We intentionally left poop from each of the other elephants in the stalls, to see how she would react. Once everything was open, she was excited and ready to go, but instead of moving forward, she just danced...

Animal care staff at the National Zoo welcomed a new resident to Elephant Trails May 22—Bozie, a 37-year-old female Asian elephant. She arrived safely and is now in quarantine for approximately 30 days. Elephant Manager Marie Galloway, Zoo Veterinarian Nancy Boedeker, and a keeper from the Baton...

As we continue our Elephant Trails photo blog series, our next stop is their house. These photos of Elephant Trails would not be complete without a view of our elephant's indoor living areas. A camera and ladder are helping us to capture every area from an elephant's point of view. Since Shanthi...

Do you wonder what the world looks like from an animal's point of view? While visiting a zoo, have you ever looked at an object placed in an exhibit, a log or toy, for instance, and wondered why it was there? An exhibit's design is carefully and deliberately planned, not only to ensure the comfort...

Human-elephant conflict in Sri Lanka kills more than 70 humans and 200 Asian elephants every year. One of the most common tools in combating these conflicts is moving the elephants into ranges away from humans, often into national parks. This is done in hopes of avoiding problems that include...

Do you wonder what the world looks like from an animal's point of view? While visiting a zoo, have you ever looked at an object placed in an exhibit, a log or toy, for instance, and wondered why it was there? An exhibit's design is carefully and deliberately planned, not only to ensure the comfort...

When the elephant keepers at the Smithsonian's National Zoo hear the sound of a harmonica, it is not the radio they have left on. Instead, it is the Zoo's 36-year-old Asian elephant, Shanthi, who, unsolicited, has a propensity for coming up with her own ditties using whatever instruments the keepers...

Hi, my name is Marie Galloway. I am the elephant manager here at National Zoo. Those of you that have been following our website for a long time might remember me from the "Moving In" blog. I wrote updates in 2010 when the elephants were moving into the new Elephant Trails Phase 1 exhibit. Currently...

By Tony Barthel, Curator of Large Mammals at the National Zoo This past October I was lucky enough to travel to Malaysia and join a team who was exploring opportunities for collaboration on elephant and wildlife conservation between the Smithsonian Conservation Biology Institute (SCBI), the National...

By Jason Gue, Elephant Keeper at the National Zoo If you come to the National Zoo on most days you will find us conducting an elephant husbandry demonstration. During the narration we talk about how elephants are endangered and are in constant competition with humans for the use of limited land and...