Upcoming travels for warthogs and zebra

Four members of Zoo Atlanta’s African Savanna are ready to start exciting new chapters. Warthog sisters Daphne, Eloise, and Penelope and female plains zebra Shinda will soon depart Atlanta for other Association of Zoos and Aquariums (AZA) accredited organizations. The moves are recommendations of the AZA Species Survival Plan® (SSP).

Daphne, Eloise, and Penelope, who will be 2 on April 29, are at an age where they are ready to begin their own adult lives and will remain together at their new home. The sisters were the first litter for warthog pair Eleanor and Hamlet, who will remain at Zoo Atlanta.

Zoo Atlanta has been actively seeking a recommendation for Shinda, 20, since the passing of her companion, Hannah, in late 2022. Zebras are social animals, and Shinda will have a new companion at her new home. Zoo Atlanta plans to see zebras back in its mixed-species African Savanna in the future.

The SSP takes a big-picture approach to assessing animal populations at accredited zoos, and recommendations take into account factors such as social, individual, and housing needs. Collaborative programs like the SSP are important to the long-term success and viability of animal populations in AZA-accredited zoos, and may involve transfers of animals from other organizations to Zoo Atlanta or vice versa.

“We will miss Daphne, Eloise and Penelope, as we and our Members and guests have enjoyed watching them grow here at Zoo Atlanta, but we are excited for their new opportunity. We will likewise miss Shinda, but it is most important that she have the social interactions that her species needs,” said Jennifer Mickelberg, PhD, Vice President of Collections and Conservation. “In any discussions of animal moves, the well-being of the animals is our number one consideration.”

The African Savanna opened in 2019 with new and expanded habitats for African elephants, giraffes, zebras, ostriches, meerkats, warthogs, and southern white rhinos. Learn more or plan a visit at zooatlanta.org.