African elephant
Reed Family Elephants of the Zambezi River Valley·Mammal
Six of the elephants at the Sedgwick County Zoo arrived in March 2016 from drought-stricken Swaziland as part of an ongoing rescue mission to provide a safe haven and more secure future for the animals.
The habitat's design was based on scientific research, providing for the herd's complex physical, mental and social needs.
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- Conservation StatusVulnerable
- Life span30-55 years
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Body size5,000-14,000 pounds.
Up to 13 ft. at shoulders. - Native habitat Savanna and equatorial forest of Africa
- DietGrasses and trees
Meet Our Elephants
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- StephanieStephanie (stef-uh-nee) is 54 years old, matriarch of the herd and one of the zoo’s oldest residents. She is short with big eyes, a strong willed personality, no tusks, and has the most wrinkles.
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- CalleeCallee (kal-ee) is 24 years old and the only male in the herd. He is the largest elephant and has trimmed tusks since breaking one while sparring. Callee came to SCZ from the Omaha Zoo.
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- SimunyeSimunye (sih-moon-yay) is 30 years old and the second oldest female in the herd, with her name meaning “We Are One” in the Zulu language. She is easily identified by her forehead indentations, long legs, and uneven tusks. She is often spotted allomothering Bomani alongside Talia.
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- TaliaTalia (tuh-lee-uh) is a 15 year old female, her name meaning “Dew of Heaven”. She is most easily identified by the large circular scar on her right hip and small short tusks that curve upwards. She is the mother of Bomani.
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- XolaniXolani (zoh-law-nee) is a 17 year old female, her name meaning “Peace” in the Zulu language. Xolani is independent with a slender face and a longer right tusk than the left. She is the mother of Kijani.
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- ArusiArusi (uh-roo-see) is a 16 year old female, her name meaning “Born at the Wedding Time” in Swahili. Arusi is a high energy spunky elephant who is very playful. She is the only elephant in the herd born without tusks. She is the mother of Asali.
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- ZuberiZuberi (zoo-beer-ee) is an 18 year old female, her name meaning “Strong” in Swahili. Zuberi has a dominant personality, enjoys swimming, and can be identified by her longer right tusk and deep forehead indentations. She is the mother of Dakari.
Meet Our Calves
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- BomaniBomani (bow-maw-nee) whose name means “Warrior” in Swahili, was born to mom Talia on April 10. True to his name, Bomani loves protecting the herd from stray geese and sticks and enjoys playing with the other calves. He is the largest calf of the group.
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- KijaniKijani (kih-jaw-nee) whose name means “green” in Swahili, is the second calf born at SCZ, just four days after Bomani on April 14. Kijani enjoys sleeping, mud wallowing and spending time with his mother Xolani and matriarch Stephanie. He is the second largest calf and has lots of red hair on the top of his head.
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- AsaliAsali (uh-saw-lee) was named after matriarch Stephanie’s African name which means “honey” or “sweet” in Swahili. Asali was born to mom Arusi on June 3rd, and shares her spunky and playful personality.
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- DakariDakari (duh-car-ee) is the fourth and final calf of SCZ’s elephant baby boom. Born to mom Zuberi on August 22, Dakari spends her time learning to nurse and exploring her outdoor habitat. She is the smallest of the calves and her name means “one who brings happiness” in Swahili.
Did you know?
African elephants are the largest living land animal.
Their skin is a dull brownish-grey with scattered black bristly hairs. African elephants have very large, flat ears and both males and females have tusks formed by large incisor teeth on the upper jaw. Their trunks are long and muscular and used for many things including drinking, eating, digging, and grabbing. They also use them to spray water over their bodies for cooling and to throw dirt on their backs to protect them from the sun. Elephants have the longest gestation period of any mammal—22 months!