Callee
Callee (born September 19, 2000 at the Pittsburgh Zoo in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania) is a male African Bush elephant (Loxodonta africana) who was exhibited alongside the older Bulwagi at the Birmingham Zoo's Trails of Africa exhibit from 2011 to 2019.
Callee was the second African elephant to be born in captivity in North America since 1985, and has lived his entire life at the Pittsburgh Zoo. He was sired by Jack, a bull caught wild in Zimbabwe in 1978 when he was about 2 years old, and borne by "Savannah" a female, also caught in Zimbabwe in 1985, when she was about 3.
Callee, as an aging male, was beginning to be pushed out of the female-dominated herd at the Pittsburgh Zoo, which included his mother. This social separation is typical of wild elephants, and the further study of "bachelor herds" is part of the Birmingham Zoo's program for elephant conservation. He was moved to Birmingham in February 2011. At the time of the move, he stood about 7 feet tall at the shoulders and weighed nearly 5,500 pounds.
Callee joined Bulwagi, an older male from Disney's Animal Adventure in Lake Buena Vista, Florida and in May 2011 was joined by a contemporary, Ajani, from the Indianapolis Zoo. A fourth elephant was also due to arrive from the Dresden Zoo late that summer. Planners have said that the exhibit was designed for as many as 6 to 8 males.
Callee was sent to the Henry Doorly Zoo and Aquarium in Omaha, Nebraska in the Summer of 2019 for potential breeding as part of the AZA's Species Survival Plan. After his departure, Bulwagi remained as Birmingham's sole elephant pending the expected arrival of two more young males.
In 2023 Callee, who had sired several offspring during his time in Omaha, was transferred to the Sedgwick County Zoo in Wichita, Kansas.
References
- Zlatos, Bill (February 17, 2011) "Pittsburgh Zoo elephant to head south." Pittsburgh Tribune-Review
- Thornton, William (April 21, 2011) "Birmingham Zoo's elephants get to know each other." The Birmingham News
- Thornton, William (May 13, 2011) "Birmingham Zoo elephant herd swells to 3 with arrival of bull from Indianapolis." The Birmingham News
- Hrynkiw, Ivana (May 9, 2019) "Check out one of Birmingham Zoo’s elephants before he leaves this summer." The Birmingham News
- "Henry Doorly to welcome bull African elephant from Alabama zoo." (May 28, 2019) WOWT.com
- "Sedgwick County Zoo to get new elephant." (May 18, 2023) KWCH.com
External links
- Birmingham Zoo website
- Callee at the Elephant Database