Elephants to be moved from Twycross Zoo

Minbu, Tara, Noorjahan and Esha

  • Video credit: Twycross Zoo

Twycross Zoo is going to move its all-female herd of Asian elephants to Blackpool Zoo to allow the animals to breed.

Originating from the open grasslands, marshes, savannahs and tropical forests of India, Burma, Thailand and Sri Lanka, the Asian elephants are classified as an endangered species.

Dr Sharon Redrobe OBE, CEO of Twycross Zoo said:

Twycross’ current enclosure Elephant Creek can't house a male bull elephant to naturally grow into a larger family.

Minbu, Tara, Noorjahan and Esha will be transported in specially designed steel crates weighing 10 tons each.

Elephant keepers at the zoo have been walking them into the transport crates, to allow them to get used to standing inside them, making the journey as stress free as possible when the transfer happens in spring 2018.

Albert Pamies, Head Keeper of the elephant section at Twycross Zoo explains:

Threats to wild populations include poaching, habitat destruction or fragmentation.

Dr Sharon Redrobe, CEO of Twycross Zoo concludes:

A bull elephant will be introduced to the group once the elephants are settled into their new home.