Joburg Zoo gets 2 friends for lonely Lammie the elephant

The Joburg Zoo is ecstatic that it has acquired two mates to join the Zoo’s sociable but solitary elephant, Lammie.

Lammie made headlines last year when her partner, Kinkel died. 

ALSO READ: Joburg Zoo saddened by the death of Kinkel the elephant

The Joburg Zoo said in a statement two elephants secured a clean bill of health and arrived at the Zoo with the veterinary doctor and their keeper on Thursday. 

Ramadiba, 22-year-old a mature male and Mopani, a 19-year-old female, will be allowed to get accustomed to their surroundings before they make their public debut on World Elephant Day, 12 August which coincidently, is on the same day that Lammie turns 40.

"The Joburg Zoo went through a thorough and lengthy process to acquire the legal permits for the elephants. This included making certain that the elephants are captive-bred, that the Zoo has an approved elephant management plan that is compliant to best management practices set by the Gauteng Department of Agriculture and Rural Development (GDARD), and to ensuring it is compliant with the Code of Ethics and the 5 Freedoms of Animal Welfare, adopted for ‘Good Zoos’ by the World Association of Zoos and Aquaria (WAZA)," said the Zoo in a statement. 

As the largest terrestrial animals on earth, the new elephants will form part of the Big 5 offering at the Joburg Zoo to actively promote conservation and environmental education, especially to the 300 000 children that visit the Zoo, annually. 

“This is not about gate-takings, but about deepening our understanding of the importance of the ecology found on our planet and to ensure that every child gets to see and hear the trumpeting of the African elephant, in Africa,” stated the MMC for Community Development, Councillor Nonhlanhla Sifumba.

Sifumba added that while ‘space’ to roam will always be a contentious issue, that this is not the only critical factor. The unrelenting threat of poachers, diminishing areas to forage due to growing urbanization, climate change relative to inclement weather conditions, and the inability of captive-bred elephants to cope in the wild, are a current reality.