Where did the Nashville Zoo elephants go?

The two were moved to The Elephant Sanctuary in Hohenwald, Tenn., along with Sukari in late 2015 as the Nashville zoo prepared to renovate their space, citing plans to grow the African elephant herd and bring in more African animals. The move was originally temporary.



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In recent years, some larger zoos such as the Toronto Zoo and San Francisco Zoo have phased out their elephant programs, sending their aging animals to sanctuaries in the United States that have far more space.

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In 2006, the Bronx Zoo announced no further elephants would be acquired, a measure taken by other zoos after calls from the public and animal experts stated that elephants do not belong in captivity thus affecting their natural behaviors as social creatures.

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They eventually turned around and went back to their native habitat, the Xishuangbanna National Nature Reserve in the south, on December 9, 2021.

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You can have a unique experience with an elephant at 72 AZA-accredited zoos. Visit any of these AZA-accredited zoos today to learn more about elephants, how the zoo is contributing to conservation and what you can do to help.

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In April 2005 the Detroit Zoo moved elephants Winky and Wanda to the Performing Animal Welfare Society's (PAWS) ARK 2000 Sanctuary in California.

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It wasn't natural for Winky and Wanda to endure the frigid Michigan winters at the zoo. Despite the zoo's best efforts, both elephants suffered from arthritis. They needed freedom. In 2005, after over a decade of living at the zoo, The Detroit Zoo let Winky and Wanda go.

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Officials made the decision to “humanely” euthanize the 37-year-old elephant. There were no signs that Penny was ailing, according to zoo officials. That was not the case in December of 2016, when another of the zoo's elephants that was suffering from medical issues was euthanized, The State reported.

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