Selwo Aventura in Estepona welcomes Hope, a six-year-old Sumatran Asian elephant from Madrid Zoo.

Selwo Aventura Zoo in Estepona has welcomed a new inhabitant: Hope, a six-year-old Sumatran Asian elephant ... who has arrived from the Zoo Aquarium of Madrid, as part of the European Endangered Species Conservation Program.

The young elephant, who weighs around 1,500 kilograms, will live with Bogor, his maternal half-brother, another Asian elephant that has been residing in the park since 2023. They were together for nearly three years at the Madrid zoo and are now reunited at the Estepona park facilities, and if all goes well, they will share their adult lives together.

The transfer is part of the coordinated conservation efforts carried out by zoos that are members of the Iberian Association of Zoos and Aquaria and the European Association of Zoos and Aquaria through the European Endangered Species Program (EEP), which manages the breeding and distribution of animals for conservation purposes.

The head of Conservation at Selwo Aventura, Eloy Serrano, explains that "Hope's arrival falls within the framework of the European recovery program for two reasons: first because we are a reference center for single males and second, so that both males grow up in a socially stable manner and learn to relate among elephants," he points out.

Serrano also highlights a factor that will facilitate the animal's adaptation to its new environment: the prior bond with Bogor. "A very positive aspect of this transfer is that they are half-brothers and have already lived together in the same space, so we believe that the union will be very quick and they will grow up together."

First Contacts

With Hope's arrival, male Asian elephants now make up the majority in the park. Bogor was the first male specimen to arrive at Selwo since 2016, which then motivated the expansion and remodeling of the area dedicated to these animals.

At that time, the so-called Elephant Trail was occupied by two adult females: Tima and Jangoli. Tima died in 2023 due to natural causes, while Jangoli, aged 58, "continues living in the park, although her social needs are different from those of the younger specimens," admits Serrano.

During the first weeks, the new elephant will go through a phase of acclimatization to the facilities, getting familiar with the bedrooms, meadows, and daily routines of the park, as well as with the specialized caregivers. Eloy Serrano details that "simultaneously, Hope and Bogor will begin to interact progressively, first with visual contact and later with protected contact before direct cohabitation is considered."

For the park team, this process represents a significant challenge. "This incorporation is a challenge. Although they are young in age, the challenge of uniting them, getting them to relate, and growing up to adulthood is a challenge for all the professionals at Selwo Aventura," says Serrano.

Born during the pandemic

Hope was born on March 8, 2020, at the Madrid Zoo, at the very start of the COVID pandemic, a circumstance that marked his early years. "There was no public in the zoo, and he was very well supported by the group of elephants in Madrid, learning from both the group of females with his mother at the forefront and from males," explains Javier López, the second in charge of terrestrial mammal caregivers at the Madrid Zoo.

About to turn six years old, the young elephant also stands out for his character. "He's about to turn six and he's a bit mischievous. He's cooperative when handling certain tasks and it's a pleasure to work with him," assures López.

According to Serrano, the characteristics of the Estepona park are particularly suitable for his development. "The arrival at Selwo has been very positive and the characteristics of this park are ideal for maintaining this species and also for favoring their natural behaviors."