Two elephant siblings reunite at Selwo Aventura, in Estepona

Elephants Hope and Bogor are now sharing space at Selwo Aventura. These two maternal siblings—Hope, a Sumatran elephant (Elephas maximus sumatranus, a critically endangered subspecies) weighing 1,500 kilograms, and Bogor, an Asian elephant (Elephas maximus)—have completed the necessary process to live together again.

Both were born at the Zoo Aquarium of Madrid under the European Endangered Species Programme (EEP) and lived there for three years. In 2023, Bogor arrived at the Estepona enclosure, and Hope followed at the end of last March, a few days after turning six, when it was deemed the right time for him to leave his group at the Madrid enclosure. Since their arrival, a gradual contact process was initiated, starting with visual contact only, followed by protected physical contact. However, the process has now been completed, and the siblings are already sharing facilities, communication, and play at the Estepona zoo.

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Behind this union, as is the case in each of the zoos part of AIZA (Iberian Association of Zoos and Aquariums) and EAZA (European Association of Zoos and Aquaria), there are technical motivations. These are summarized in the designation by the EEP of Selwo Aventura as a space "to house males, whether juvenile or adult bachelors," as explained by Eloy Serrano, head of Conservation at the Estepona enclosure. Selwo Aventura also hosts Jangoli, an elderly female who, at 58 years old, has very different social needs compared to her younger male companions.

The subspecies to which Hope belongs, the Sumatran elephant, is declared critically endangered. As an adult, it measures between 1.7 and 2.3 meters in height, weighs two to four tons, and unlike African elephants, only the males have tusks. Social by nature, they form matriarchal systems around an adult female, although males, upon reaching a certain age, separate to live alone.