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Emotional farewell: Elephant mother Rani and daughter Savani leave Leipzig!
Rani and her daughter Savani leave Leipzig Zoo due to tensions in the herd. Transport to Munich takes place in protected contact.
Emotional farewell: Elephant mother Rani and daughter Savani leave Leipzig!
Leipzig Zoo says goodbye to the 15-year-old elephant Rani and her two-year-old daughter Savani. The move to Munich's Hellabrunn Zoo is the result of tensions within the Leipzig elephant herd, which threatened the animals' harmonious coexistence. The keepers and zoo director are affected by the emotional farewell.
How thueringen24.de Reportedly, Rani and Savani were placed in special boxes to make transportation easier. The farewell is particularly painful for the keepers of the Leipzig Zoo, as they have developed a close bond with the animals. The MDR documentary soap “Elephant, Tiger & Co.” In the episode from May 30th, we will provide insight into the preparations for this transport.
Challenges in the herd
The decision to move was not easy, as zoo director Prof. Jörg Junhold explains. The zoo has gone through a long and intensive process to manage the 11-strong elephant herd. In recent months, tensions between Rani and other herd members have increased, leading to more frequent separations from her. Rani could not be permanently integrated into the existing herd group around the lead cow Kewa, which accelerated the decision to move.
15-year-old Rani and her daughter are being introduced to a new group of elephants in Hellabrunn. This consists of the animals Otto, Temi, Mangala and Gajendra who already live there. A special transporter brought the elephants safely to Munich. There, Rani and Savani are to be integrated into the existing herd in order to build their own family line MDR.de emerges.
The transport and the acclimatization
The animals are transported in so-called protected contact, whereby the keepers do not go into the enclosure and the animals have to get into the transport boxes independently. “It is important that the animals cooperate so that the transport runs smoothly,” explains keeper Denny Geyer. The animals' daily training session before transport is intended to take into account their need to move and make the new phase of their lives easier for them.
Trusted carers will accompany Rani and Savani as they settle into Hellabrunn and will stay on site for the first few days. This measure is intended to help the elephants quickly settle into their new surroundings.