December 21, 2012
DENVER ZOO WELCOMES FEMALE ASIAN ELEPHANT "KIMBO"
42-Year-Old Elephant from Fort Worth Zoo to Join Longtime Resident Dolly

Kimbo, a 42-year-old, female Asian elephant from Fort Worth Zoo arrived safely at Denver Zoo last night and is getting acquainted with her new state-of-the-art indoor quarters inside Toyota Elephant Passage. She is the first new female elephant to move into the exhibit and will eventually join longtime resident elephant Dolly as a herd mate. Weather permitting; guests will be able to see Kimbo in late January after she clears a mandatory month-long quarantine process.

Kimbo and Dolly will provide each other excellent company. The two are similar in age as Dolly is believed to be at least 47-years-old. Exact birthdates aren't known for either elephant, though. Dolly was born in India while Kimbo was born in Thailand.

She comes to Denver Zoo through a recommendation of the Association of Zoos and Aquariums (AZA) Species Survival Plan (SSP), which determines the best home for animals in North American zoos to ensure healthy populations and genetic diversity among zoo animals. SSPs are cooperative animal management, breeding and conservation programs that work to ensure long-term species survival.

Kimbo brings Denver Zoo's Asian elephant population back up to four including its two bulls, 8-year-old Bodhi and 41-year-old Groucho.

Asian elephants are found in a wide variety of habitats in southern Asia, in countries such as India, Thailand and Vietnam. They are classified as endangered by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN), with an estimated wild population only 30,000. Their numbers continue to decline due to habitat loss and fragmentation along with poaching for ivory.