Female elephants live in herds with their calves while male elephants tend to roam on their own or in a bachelor herd. Elephants have the longest gestation period of all mammals — 22 months. The Indianapolis Zoo is well-known throughout the world for its cutting-edge elephant reproduction research. The first and second African elephants in the world to be conceived and successfully born through artificial insemination were at the Zoo.
Who’s your Tembo Camp connection? Just like us, elephants each have individual traits that set them apart. Take the quiz and find out!
Ivory is tall and slender with long tusks. She also has a furry belly. Typically, you'll see Ivory sharing the elephant yard with her daughter, Zahara, and sometimes Sophi as well.
Ivory has been at the Indianapolis Zoo since 1984. On Aug. 4, 2000, Ivory became the second African elephant in the world to give birth to a calf conceived by artificial insemination. That calf was named Ajani. Since then, she has conceived and given birth by artificial insemination two more times. Ivory is an expert at stripping bark from logs her keepers provide for her and she has passed on these techniques to her daughter Zahara.
Gets along with his "aunties." He is very easygoing.
Kedar was born through artificial insemination. Kubwa is his mom. He was named in a contest with the Zoo, the Indianapolis Star and WTHR-TV.
First African Elephant to ever become pregnant and give birth from artificial insemination.
Her first calf was a female named Amali born in 2000. Since then, she has successfully given birth to two more elephant calves through artificial insemination. Kubwa has been at the Indianapolis Zoo since 1978.
Tombi has a slender body with a square and narrow head; her even tusks curve inward. Less social than other members of the herd; she is a very calm and stable elephant for her keepers to work with.
Tombi is not blood related to any elephant in the herd, but she acts as an aunt to many of our elephant calves. Guests often get the chance to meet Tombi up close during behind-the-scenes demonstrations, like animal art adventures.
Zahara is active, playful and loves to swim. She's also very smart and alert.
Born to mom Ivory through artificial insemination, Zahara was named in a contest with the Zoo, the Indianapolis Star and WTHR-TV.
Look no further. Connect with our amazing animals and learn about the wild places they come from.
You can help by taking the 96 Elephants pledge to show your support for measures aimed at combating the global ivory trade. As well, only purchase products made from sustainable alternatives to ivory.
Since 2007, the Indianapolis Zoo has provided annual support for the Tarangire Elephant Project and the Foleys’ efforts
to conserve elephants and their habitat. Charles, Lara and their two young daughters follow the lives of more than
1,000 elephants within 32 family groups.
One of the Tarangire Elephant Project’s major purposes is to protect migration corridors and dispersal areas — areas
outside the national park where elephants move seasonally. These protected grasslands are a critical food source
for wildlife as well as for the local community’s livestock. Free access to these areas for all of the species
in the national park is essential for their continued conservation.
Despite poaching in other parts of Africa, Charles said the Tarangire elephants continue to thrive, with the local
population estimated at about 4,200.
In 2016, funds also supported the start of a new program — the Ruaha Katavi Corridor expansion.
With attention given to the vast areas of woodland stretching between Ruaha National Park and Katavi National Park,
the Foleys help ensure those populations are protected from both the pressures of poaching and habitat loss. With
the parks more than 130 miles apart, focused efforts influence what may be not only the longest elephant corridor
in East Africa, but one of the longest migration paths in the world.
Everyone has the power to help save wild things and wild places. That power is your individual voice, your awareness and your actions. So in addition to visiting the Zoo and meeting our animal ambassadors, here are a few simple suggestions that will help save their counterparts in the wild:
As the world’s largest land mammal, elephants may seem cumbersome. But did you know their agile prehensile trunks also allow them to do some amazing work with an artist’s brush? An Elephant Art Adventure takes participants behind the scenes in the elephant barn, where they meet an elephant, learn about some of the things that make this elephant unique in our herd and walk away with their very own piece of elephant artwork!
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The Animal Amigo program helps care for all of the animals at the Zoo by funding food, medical treatment, equipment, enrichment toys, and habitat improvement for the animals in our care. For a donation of $100 or more, you con sponsor an elephant at the Indianapolis Zoo. You will receive a plush, collector card, certificate and recognition on the Animal Amigo donor board!
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