BBP has 26 captive elephants and every year two to three three elephants are added to the herd—the highest for any zoo in the country.
| Photo Credit:
K. Murali Kumar

The Bannerughatta Biological Park (BBP), Bengaluru, is all set to make its first export in its history of animal exchanges. A batch of four Asian elephants – one male and three females – will be sent to Himeji Central Park – Safari Park, Himeji, Japan. Suresh, 8, Gowri, 9, Shruthi, 7, and Tulsi, 5, are being sent after the park got the necessary approvals from the Central Zoo Authority, New Delhi and other departments, said the BBP in a release.

“The exchange is a part of a larger multi exchange programme, where in return, the park will receive four cheetahs, four jaguars, four pumas, three chimpanzees and eight black-capped capuchins. The elephants will be transported through a Qatar Airways cargo plane from Kempegowda International Airport, Bengaluru to Kansai International Airport, Osaka on July 24 and 25. The total transportation time will be around approximately 20 hours from Bannerughatta Biological Park to Himeji Central Park – Safari Park,” the release added.

The park said that the animals have been are trained for the past six months for this transportation and are cleared for good health to make the journey. The animals will be accompanied by two veterinary doctors from Himeji Central Park and two veterinary officers from Bannerughatta Biological Park, four keepers, one supervisor and one biologist from Bannerughatta Biological Park. A total of eight persons from Bannerughatta Biological Park will visit and stay at the Himeji Central Park for two weeks to train the elephants to acclimatise to the new environment, the release added.

“Further, elephant keepers of Himeji Central Park were also trained in Bannerughatta Biological Park for around 20 days from May 12 to 25, 2025. All the preparations for logistics, feed and veterinary care are in readiness to take up this historic journey. The addition of Asian Elephants to Himeji Central Park – Safari Park is a great opportunity for the people of Japan to visit the park and appreciate the gentle giants for their charisma and intelligence,” the release added.

Surya Sen A.V. Deputy Conservator of Forests and Executive Director, Bannerughatta Biological Park, told The Hindu that every country has its own management practices and animal welfare guidelines and the Japanese are well advanced and have a different set of practices wherein animals are trained without physical intervention.

This will be the second batch of exchange of elephants to Japan after three elephants were sent to Toyohashi Zoo and Botanical Park, Japan in May 2021 from Mysuru Zoo.