africa

Meet Uli, the African Elephant th newbie at UK’s only bachelor elephant habitat

Lorry Dean

Mar 30, 2024 — 3 min read

By Jill Dando News

Uli, an African bull elephant, has safely arrived at Noah’s Ark Zoo Farm’s 20-acre Elephant Eden, the UK’s largest elephant facility and the only bull facility.

Uli,13-years-old, from Magdeburg, Germany, becomes the fourth male elephant at the Zoo, joining 32-year-old Shaka, 18-year-old Janu, and 9-year-old Sutton.

Having spent over 5 years in his previous zoo, Uli’s arrival at Noah’s Ark marks a pivotal stage in his development as a bachelor male preparing him to integrate into a breeding group, benefitting the European endangered species programme for African elephants. His presence contributes significantly to the Zoo's conservation efforts.

The facility, which recently celebrated its 10th birthday, plays a key role for the European Endangered Species Programme (EEP) for African elephants, offering an extensive environment for individual males to live and integrate into a multi-generational group where they can learn from each other and exhibit natural behaviours. Habitats like Elephant Eden are crucial to the successful and healthy management of African elephants as a part of the wider European zoo community, in recognition of the differing social and spatial needs of male and females.

Tom Lindley, Elephant Section Leader at Noah’s Ark, commented, “Noah’s Ark provides a much needed environment for Uli's growth.

Young bulls like Uli benefit immensely from the presence of older, more experienced bulls who are behavioural role models. As he matures, Uli will play a role in mentoring younger bulls, contributing to the group dynamics and the welfare of our elephant community.”

Lindley continued, “We have a detailed integration plan in place for Uli’s arrival. Like Sutton, who was our last new arrival, Uli will be gradually introduced to the other males to ensure a smooth transition into the group. In the wild, male elephants naturally group together with other solitary males to form bachelor groups.”

Recognising the endangered status of African Elephants, listed by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN), Noah’s Ark Zoo Farm and other zoos across Europe understand the significance of coordinated population management within accredited zoos to support global conservation initiatives to protect this important species.

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As a charity, Noah’s Ark Zoo Farm’s aims are conservation, education, and wellbeing. Larry Bush, Managing Director of Noah’s Ark said “We are very excited to welcome Uli to Noah’s Ark. Elephants are extraordinary creatures, and it’s a privilege to be able to support him in this vital part of his development.

Larry Bush continued, “Our state-of-the-art elephant facilities have been thoughtfully designed to cater to their needs, providing separate sleeping areas and ample space for each elephant both indoors and outdoors. This not only supports international breeding efforts but also enables us to educate our visitors and wider community about these magnificent creatures, fostering a passion for conservation in future generations.”

Noah’s Ark Zoo Farm celebrated the 10th anniversary of the opening of Elephant Eden last month, an important milestone which marks its significant contribution to the international efforts to improve the welfare of elephants living in zoos.

Dr Jo Judge, the CEO of BIAZA said: “Noah’s Ark provides an outstanding environment where Uli can thrive while learning important lessons about what it takes to be a bull elephant. African elephants like Uli are at risk of being lost forever. Zoo’s such as Noah’s Ark are at the forefront of the fight to conserve elephants now and into the future.

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Images courtesy of and distributed by Noah’s Ark Zoo Farm™