Kubwa

Age: 36
Weight: 7,706 lbs. as of August 2012
County of origin: Mozambique, Africa
Came to Indianapolis: 1978

Kubwa came to the old Indianapolis Zoo on June 11, 1978 from Mozambique, Africa as a two-year old. Kubwa was kept as a single elephant until Ivory arrived at the Zoo in September 1984. Kubwa is extremely affectionate to keepers and to Ivory and Sophi.

Kubwa is a slender, tall elephant and can be identified by her narrow ankles and hairy ears. Kubwa can be very food motivated, so much so that she can become fixated on the food reward when training a new behavior and forget what is being trained. When the keepers supplement food with "good" and friendly pats, they get her attention back on track. Kubwa made history in 1998 when she became the first African elephant ever to become pregnant by artificial insemination!  Sadly, her calf, Amali, died in June 2003 as result of an infection.  However, Kubwa made history again in October 2005 when she successfully gave birth to a male calf, Kedar - the first time an elephant had successfully conceived and given birth to a calf through artificial insemination for a second time.