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Asian elephants are endangered in the wild, where perhaps only 30,000 still live in forests of south and southeast Asia. They are endangered in North American zoos, too. That's why the 2001 birth of Kandula, the result of artificial insemination, was such a triumph.

This young male represents a major effort by the National Zoo to develop a herd of breeding Asian elephants, build a new Zoo habitat called Elephant Trails for these majestic animals, and help to save populations both in zoos and in the wild through science and conservation initiatives.

Zoo Vets Artifically Inseminate Shanthi

In mid-January, veterinarians conducted two artificial insemination procedures on Shanthi, one of the Zoo's Asian elephants. Zoo staff hope that she will become pregnant, an important milestone in the Zoo’s commitment to Asian elephant conservation.

In 2001, Shanthi gave birth to Kandula. He was the fifth elephant in the world conceived by artificial insemination. Through past artificial insemination procedures done with Shanthi, Zoo scientists collected information that led to a greater understanding of elephant reproduction.

If Shanthi is pregnant, she would give birth in 20 to 22 months. An elephant birth would help us in building a security population of Asian elephants, in case they go extinct in the wild. Asian elephants are endangered. Fewer than 30,000 remain in the wild, most in small fragmented populations.

Kandula now stands at about six and a half feet tall at the shoulder and weighs about 4,250 pounds. He is making a transition away from his family. more

You can see the Zoo's Asian elephants live on our cam, which sometimes looks to their outdoor habitat and other times looks into an indoor enclosure.

Read All About It

Find out about the Zoo's history of caring for and studying Asian elephants, and what we're doing today to conserve them. more

What is Elephant Trails? A Campaign to Save Asian Elephants! more

Mammal Mystery
What animal scales rocks in Africa and is related to elephants but weighs just a few pounds? Find out.

Elephant Enigma
How do you get a four-ton animal to open up and say, "Ahhh"? Find out.

Asian Elephant Neighbors
In Asia, elephants may share broadly overlapping ranges with tigers, sloth bears, clouded leopards, and other Zoo species. Thousands of years ago, Asian elephants and giant pandas may have met. Asia Trail brings these species together at the National Zoo.

Other Elephants
One species of elephant lives in Asia, while two different species live in Africa: the savanna elephant and the forest elephant.

The savanna elephant, which you may see in many zoos, ranges through open habitats in eastern and southern Africa, while the forest elephant occupies central and west African forests, such as those in Gabon. Only recently did scientists decide, based on DNA studies, that these two forms were indeed distinct species. more