Ajani
Ajani (born August 4, 2000 in Indianapolis, Indiana) is a male African Bush elephant (Loxodonta africana), formerly exhibited as part of a "bachelor herd" of three males at the Birmingham Zoo's Trails of Africa exhibit.
Ajani first male elephant calf born in North America as a result of artificial insemination. He was also the first bull elephant ever at that zoo, weighing in at 252 pounds. His name is Yoruba phrase ("à-jà-ní") meaning "one whom we fought to have."
Ajani, as an aging male, was beginning to be pushed out of the female-dominated herd at the Indianapolis Zoo. 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 May 2011.
Ajani joined Bulwagi, an older male from Disney's Animal Adventure in Lake Buena Vista, Florida and a contemporary, Callee, from the Pittsburgh Zoo. A fourth elephant is also due to arrive from the Dresden Zoo in late summer. Planners said that the exhibit was designed for as many as 6 to 8 males.
During his time in Birmingham, the Zoo's vice president for living collections, Stephanie Braccini Slade, reported that Ajani became more "confident and social". The 9'-5" tall elephant was transferred to the Sedgwick County Zoo in Wichita, Kansas in May 2018. There he joined a herd of six female elephants where it is expected he will contribute to the AZA's "Species Survival Plan".
Sperm collected from Ajani was used to successfully inseminate Renee, a female elephant at the Toledo Zoo in Toledo, Ohio in late 2022. In the fall of 2023 Ajani was transferred to Toledo to join Renee and her fellow female Twiggy in anticipation of the new baby due in spring 2024. At the time of the move, Ajani's weight was reported as 11,710 pounds.
References
- 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
- "Birmingham Zoo Elephant, Ajani, Moving to Sedgwick County Zoo." (May 3, 2018) Birmingham Zoo press release
- "Toledo Zoo welcomes 23-year-old African bull elephant Ajani." (September 15, 2023) wxyz.com
External links
- Birmingham Zoo website
- Ajani at the Elephant Database