Kansas City Zoo’s bull elephant explores exhibit for first time

Tamani, the only male elephant at the Kansas City Zoo, on Thursday explored the spacious exhibit for the first time since arriving here in October.

Zookeepers have spent the last several months introducing the 10-year-old bull elephant to the zoo’s six females one at a time. Officials said that went well.

Tamani was transferred from the Birmingham Zoo in Alabama. All of the Kansas City Zoo’s female elephants are past their reproductive age, but the zoo hopes to start a breeding program.

Before Thursday, visitors had only been able to view Tamani in the pen outside the elephant barn.

Tamani means “hope” in Swahili.

This story originally appeared in the Kansas City Star

This story was originally published March 3, 2016 at 11:23 PM with the headline "Kansas City Zoo’s bull elephant explores exhibit for first time."