Elephants in the wild often live in herds led by a matriarch, and once the male elephants reach sexual maturity, they will leave the group to find a mate, while the females remain with their mother for life. As a result, some animal sanctuaries make an effort to preserve elephant families in order to promote the well-being of these animals.
Recently, Pori, a 39-year-old elephant, had a heartwarming reunion with her 19-year-old daughter Tanan, as well as her granddaughters, Tamika and Elani.
Born in Zimbabwe in 1981, Pori is an African elephant who was relocated to the Magdeburg Zoo in Germany in 1983 and lived there until 1997. She was then transferred to Tierpark in Berlin for breeding purposes, where she gave birth to her first calf, Tana, in 2001.
Following 12 years of separation, Pori was joyfully reunited with her beloved family at Halle zoo, as part of an effort to replicate a natural herd environment for captive animals. The elephant population in zoos is closely monitored through the use of the EEP conservation breeding program.
To allow the elephants to have a private space to reconnect with each other, the staff at the center closed the elephant house. Witnessing the elephants extend their trunks to embrace their beloved family members was a heartwarming sight that melted everyone’s heart.
The animals were given an opportunity to engage with each other in an outdoor setting, while visitors observed them from a secure distance.
The Zoo director, Dr. Dennis Muller, shared: “Pori’s arrival in Halle is an important step in modern elephant husbandry. In the future, all elephant herds in European zoos should be cared for in such natural family structures. Today we have come a great deal closer to this goal.”