LOUISVILLE, Ky. — The Louisville Zoo is sadly saying goodbye to its two elephants: Mikki and Punch.
The zoo is preparing to relocate them both to The Elephant Sanctuary in Hohenwald, Tennessee, according to a news release. Located on 3,060 acres, the sanctuary is dubbed as the nation's largest natural habitat elephant refuge.
Asian elephant Punch arrived at the zoo in 1973, and African elephant Mikki followed in 1987. Mikki gave birth to two male calves, Scotty and Fitz, while at the Louisville Zoo. Scotty unfortunately died in May 2010 due to a bacterial infection, and Fitz died in June 2023 due to a brief battle with a virus.
"Like many institutions, the Louisville Zoo has arrived at a crossroads of tradition and reality. While elephants have been a featured species for most of the Zoo’s 54-year history, our recognition of the species’ complex social structure has evolved dramatically," Kyle Shepherd, a spokesperson for the Louisville Zoo, said.
The transition will happen sometime in the spring of 2025.
“The gap continues to widen between what we can realistically provide our aging elephants and our evolved understanding of their geriatric needs,” Louisville Zoo Director Dan Maloney said. “Louisville Zoo has reached the point where it is imperative that we secure a place for Mikki and Punch where they can retire together, and their complex social needs are fully met throughout their golden years.”
Officials said the zoo’s elephant care team has already started the process of acclimating Mikki and Punch to the transportation process.
“Even though we know that Punch and Mikki moving to The Elephant Sanctuary is best for them, we also know that we will miss them terribly," Maloney said. "Experiencing both some sadness about their eventual departure, and joy regarding their new life in Tennessee is expected, and we all appreciate having the coming year to say our proper goodbyes.”
Officials said the current elephant enclosure will be repurposed for the zoo’s southern white rhinoceroses: 40-year-old female, Sindi, and 9-year-old male, Letterman. The zoo is considering getting okapi or forest giraffe to inhabit what will become the former rhino exhibit.
"In future master planning exercises, the Zoo will consider a new, larger elephant habitat with additional accommodations, shade and the capability to hold a multi-generational herd," Shepherd said. "However, taking into account the high capital costs for a state-of-the-art elephant habitat (estimated at more than 100 million), the space needed, and potential impacts on other essential Zoo projects, planning will be approached with the utmost responsibility."
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