2 New Bachelor Elephants Arrive At Denver Zoo

Denver, CO – Two new male elephants have joined the Denver Zoo's all-bachelor colony. Jake, age 8, and Chuck, age 10, came to Denver from African Lion Safari in Ontario, Canada, and join the Zoo’s current Asian elephant inhabitants, Groucho, Bodhi and Billy.

Denver Zoo houses only male elephants as part of a scheme to protect the genetic bloodlines of endangered Asian elephants. The male elephants' genetics are valuable to the Association of Zoos & Aquariums’ (AZA) Species Survival Plan (SSP).

Jake and Chuck are not on display to the public yet. They are living at the zoo's elephant luxury bachelor pad, Toyota Elephant Passage, a pachyderm paradise which features two miles of interconnected trails and six outdoor yards and nine indoor areas, and uses more than 1.2 million gallons of water for swimming and bathing.

“Denver Zoo is deeply committed to the protection of Asian elephants and uniquely qualified to house and provide exceptional care for multiple bulls,” said Brian Aucone, senior vice president for animal sciences at Denver Zoo. “We designed and built Toyota Elephant Passage to support the Asian elephant population in North American zoos, and establish Denver Zoo as a worldwide leader in the care of male Asian elephants.”

The global population of Asian elephants has fallen to fewer than 35,000, the zoo said in a press release.

Jake and Chuck will make their public debut this fall once they are comfortable in their new home and following a quarantine period of at least 30 days, the zoo said.

Image via Denver Zoo