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Meet Ajani

Ajani was born August 4, 2000 at the Indianapolis Zoo. Ajani is the first African elephant bull calf to be born as a result of artificial insemination and the first bull elephant ever at the Indianapolis Zoo.  His mother is Ivory, who has been at the Indianapolis Zoo since she was a calf, and his father is Maclean who lives at Disney’s Animal Kingdom.

Ajani (pronounced “Ah-jonn-ee”) is a Nigerian word which means “he who wins the struggle.”  This name was chosen from a list of thousands of names submitted by the public in a naming contest.  The name fit very well as Ajani had to overcome his mother’s initial reluctance to accept him.  Ajani is Ivory’s first calf and after he was born she was a bit confused as to what to do with this new little baby elephant.  Ivory’s keepers worked with her day and night for the first few weeks of Ajani’s life, bringing him up to her and rewarding her for allowing him to nurse.  Fortunately, Ajani’s strong and determined nature along with his keepers’ persistence paid off, and Ivory’s maternal side finally kicked in.  She not only accepted him, but became a very caring and attentive mother.  Not long after, Ajani was introduced to the rest of the herd, which now stands at seven elephants.  When Ajani was two years old, he and the rest of the elephants moved to the Indianapolis Zoo’s newly built, larger habitat to accommodate its growing herd (with its growing bull!).

The Early Years

At birth, Ajani weighed 252 pounds.  Now, at age 7, he weighs 5,000 pounds and stands about 7 ½ feet tall.  Ajani contributes to important research projects giving us valuable information about the male elephant. Ajani participates in routine reproductive ultrasound exams allowing staff to track his development as he matures and he is trained for semen collection.

The Bull of the Herd

In August of 2006, Ajani’s little sister Zahara was born.  Zahara loves her older brother and enjoys following him around and pestering him under the watchful eye of mother Ivory.  Ajani also spends time with his “Aunt” Sophi and the two can often be seen swimming in the pool together in the summertime.  Ajani is a very active and lively elephant, educating and entertaining zoo visitors.  In addition to swimming in the zoo’s two large pools, he keeps himself fit by playing with his favorite toys: 55-gallon plastic drums and large tractor tires, and by strutting around his exhibit (his keepers affectionately call this his “bull walk").  It is a real treat for Ajani’s keepers to watch him mature after having welcomed him into the world back in 2000 and they are very proud of him!