The Maryland Zoo is preparing to say goodbye to its only female African elephant as it changes to an all-male herd.
Felix, a 43-year-old elephant who has lived at the Baltimore zoo for 19 years, will move to another facility later this week.
Zoo officials said the move is in Felix’s best interest because it will give her opportunities to socialize with other female elephants. Her interaction with other females have been limited since the zoo’s other female elephant died in 2024.
“We will all miss her but having social companionship in a female herd is the best thing for Felix’s overall well-being,” Mammal Curator Erin Cantwell Grimm said.
Felix is the mother of Samson, the zoo’s younger male elephant, who was born in Baltimore in 2008. The zoo said male elephants naturally separate from their mothers and birth herds as they get older.
With the change, the Maryland zoo will have what’s known as a “bachelor herd.” The zoo plans to bring in more male elephants in the future, though there’s no timetable yet for their arrival.
Keepers have spent several weeks getting Felix comfortable with a specially designed carrier. Zoo staff will accompany her on the journey and stay with her for several days as she settles into her new home.
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