Big changes for African elephants at Fresno Chafee Zoo. The herd welcomes a new male

The Fresno Chaffee Zoo added a new member to its Africa elephant herd — a bull named Mabu.

The zoo made the announcement on Saturday, saying its animal care teams were working “to ensure he is comfortable in his new home.”

Mabu can currently be seen on the savanna in the zoo’s African Adventure exhibit

The addition was made, the zoo said, on recommendation of the African Elephant Species Survival Plan, which is designed to maintain healthy, genetically diverse, and stable species within participating zoos.

“We are excited to have Mabu join our herd. He has sired many elephant calves, and we look forward to seeing how he and our two females interact with each other,” General Curator Lyn Myers said in a statement.

“To hopefully produce offspring in the future.”

Mabu joins two female African elephants, a 24-year-old named Nolwazi and her 9-year-old daughter, Amahle, in the zoo’s 13-acre, naturalistic safari-scape. He replaces the zoo’s other male elephant, Vus Musi, who the zoo relocated as part of the Species Survival Plan.

Vus Musi was moved to another Association of Zoos and Aquarium organization, the zoo said.

Earlier this year, the zoo defended itself against accusations that it had mistreated its elephant herd.