Are African forest elephants completely gone from zoos?

TripAdvisor shows an image of an elephant at Kumasi Zoo in Ghana in 2017. It certainly wasn’t there in 2022 though. I’m assuming it’s a forest elephant given location. It’s also worth noting the word ‘zoo’ is used at a stretch at places like these in West Africa. I’ve not been to Abidjan Zoo but I suspect it’s somewhat similar. You do feel for the animals and they’d be shut down in an instant in the west given the conditions.

A bit of Googling suggests he was an orphan called Batu (would suggest a forest elephant indeed) but can’t find what happened to him.

 

I am cringing so hard. If that elephant feels like it, that can be a very bad day.

 

They were Congo, came to the zoo in 1905 and shot in 1915, and Tiny who was there in the early 1930's.

 

Zangelima (Barney) and Doruma (Pinky) were in the Bronx Zoo from 1946. Zangelima was shot in 1952 and Doruma died, or was euthanized, in 1970. They, along with what they called the pigmy elephants were the forest elephants in the Bronx Zoo. There was also Dzimbo in the Smithsonian Zoo, in the 1950's or 1960's, and there were 2 in Brookfield, Zombie and Zambini. They were there in the 1930's or 1940's.

 

Further information about Bronx Zoo's forest elephants is provided earlier in this thread:-

 

You sound like you follow the elephants that were kept at the Bronx Zoo. I have been trying to find a picture or more information about a male Indian elephant named Runga, who was there from 1930 to 1940 when he too, age 13, was shot because of bad behavior. There is a mention of him in a Ditmars and Bridge's book, but there doesn't seem to be a photo of him in existence. Might you know something about this? There seems to be photos of every elephant they have had, but not Runga. Many years ago, when the zoo was more person friendly, I was shown a photo of him as a baby being brought to the old elephant house, but that was it. I only ask you as you seem to share my interest in the Bronx Zoo elephants.

 

I'm sorry to be unhelpful but I don't know any more about "Runga" than you do.

He lived in Bronx Zoo for ten years, though, so I'd be very surprised if there weren't some photos of this elephant around.

 

Quick addendum: based on molecular genetic testing, Nana is proven to not be a forest elephant. Weirdly enough Bando Gen, the cured director of Asahiyama Zoo who took part in this study referred Nana as a forest elephant on an article he wrote on 2017, many years after this study.

https://www.researchgate.net/public...phant_Loxodonta_sp_Nana_Kept_at_Asahiyama_Zoo