Overview
- The 21-year-old African elephant bull Kibo was moved from Zoopark Erfurt to Tierpark Berlin on Wednesday and zoo officials say the journey went well and he is now in a calm acclimation period.
- Zoos made the transfer after the European Endangered Species Programme recommended relocation because Kibo’s daughter Ayoka reached sexual maturity and managers wanted to prevent inbreeding within the Erfurt herd.
- Tierpark Berlin plans to make Kibo visible to visitors within days, and he will be the park’s first adult sexually mature bull as staff prepare staged introductions to matriarch Pori and her descendants.
- Kibo has sired two calves in Erfurt and the zoo reported a third related calf is expected in early 2028, underlining his role in the regional breeding network.
- The move follows standard EAZA/EEP practice that matches genetics and social needs across European collections and reflects elephant biology in which males leave female family groups and join new herds for mating opportunities.