Jamesthe dominant male in a herd of African elephants in Cabarcino Nature Park, died Wednesday afternoon as a result Injuries sustained in combat With another specimen of the group, his son Jomar, indicating a struggle between males to achieve dominance.
After arriving at the meadow area where Gomez was lying, and after four hours of careful handling maneuvers, Caparcino employees were able to move the elephant to a safe area in one of the stable yards, where it was treated to no avail. Veterinary services, caregivers and facility staff attempted to save the animal’s life, but after six hours of maneuvers and care, this was not possible due to the severity of the injuries.
As the Ministry of Tourism – on which the public company that runs the park, Cantor, depends – reported on Thursday, the management process requires a significant deployment of resources.
Gomez was almost 50 years old One of the largest elephants in Europe and one of the oldest in the park. The specimen arrived in Caparcino in September 2015 from Howletts Park Zoo in Peckisbourne (England).
One of the most valuable zoos in Europe
His arrival in Cantabria was a milestone Because it is the first exchange of male elephants in Europe to avoid inbreeding problems in the herds of Caparcino and the English Zoo.
Furthermore, Gomez was one of the most valuable breeding males of this species in European zoos due to his great value as a stallion, leaving no less than four descendants at Caparcino and 17 at Howletts Park.
Tourism points out that disputes between males of this species are common in their natural environment and this behavior occurred, in this case, because Caparcino Park is one of the places where elephants maintain “completely natural” habits by living in an enclosure of 25 hectares, one of the largest areas in the world for a herd in captivity.
Cabárceno management and workers have mourned the loss of Jums and showed their sadness at having to say goodbye to one of the facility’s flagship animals.
Caparcino, international reference
The Cabarcino Natural Park, a global reference in the conservation and reproduction of the African elephant, until yesterday had 19 specimens, the largest community of this species found in the world outside its native continent.
Thanks to the space they have and the number of individuals they comprise, the large group of Cabarcino elephants behaves in a similar way to how they do in their natural habitat, because they “graze freely, take mud baths and reproduce in a completely natural way.”
And also 24 births Cabárceno is the conservation center where most specimens of this species were born In captivity around the world.
From the construction of the first zoo in Europe – Vienna in 1752 – until the opening of Caparcino in 1990, about 12 African elephants were born in captivity in Europe, while 24 elephants have already been born since the opening of the Cantabrian Zoo.
In April 2023, the 24th specimen was born, marking a milestone in the global leadership of the Caparcino breeding programme.