After being injured in an attack by another elephant while sleeping in a zoo cage, a juvenile elephant was murdered.
According to a statement released by Noah’s Ark Zoo Farm, the tragic incident occurred on Friday, June 18 at the Noah’s Ark Zoo Farm in Wraxhall, near Bristol on England’s West Coast, when a bull elephant went into the area where a 12-year-old elephant M’Changa was sleeping and launched a brutal attack on the sleeping animal, leaving him with fatal injuries.
When the attack occurred, the zoo was not yet open to the public, and the zoo’s other two bull elephants, Shaka and Janu, who were not engaged in the event, were unhurt.
The bull elephant group has 24-hour access to both the outside and interior sections of their enclosure, according to the zoo, and they are normally extremely gregarious creatures that require the ability to be together when they want to be.
“This recent occurrence has obviously upset our committed team of Elephant keepers, and we are doing everything we can to help them during this tough time,” Noah’s Ark Zoo Farm said. “A complete investigation into the circumstances surrounding the tragedy is currently underway, as is a review of future plans to determine the best route ahead for Noah’s Ark’s elephant program.”
M’Changa had been at Noah’s Ark Zoo Farm since 2014, when he arrived from Boras Zoo in Sweden, where he had been a vital component of the male bachelor elephant group until his sad demise, according to the zoo. According to the zoo, the three elephants had been living together successfully for three years at that time.
“One of the largest elephant facilities in the UK and Europe is at Noah’s Ark Zoo Farm,” stated a senior BIAZA representative (British and Irish Association of Zoos and Aquariums). “As a vital member of the European Endangered Species Programme, the bachelor elephant group at Noah’s Ark supports larger African Elephant conservation efforts.” Our sympathies are with Noah’s Ark’s committed elephant care personnel.”
The elephants are important in breeding and expanding the elephant population, according to the zoo, since they may be sent to other institutions as breeding bulls to help with those breeding programs.
In a statement announcing M’Changa’s death, Noah’s Ark Zoo Farm noted, “Male elephants may naturally leave their family herd in adolescence and will typically come together with other lonely males, establishing a bachelor group.” “These bachelor groups are critical for young bulls to learn social skills and new behaviors from older males.” Typically, there will be one enormous dominant bull that will guide the younger bulls, settle any disagreements within the herd, and exhibit dominance. Elephant bulls are enormous and strong creatures. In the wild and in zoos, their behavior is often energetic, noisy, and at times aggressive.”
The zoo noted that a complete investigation into the incident is underway, as well as an examination into the events surrounding the attack, and that Noah’s Ark Zoo Farm would be assessing its plans for the elephant program at the zoo.
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