Busch Gardens® Tampa is excited to welcome Ganesh, better known as “Spike,” to its existing Asian elephant herd. Spike, a male Asian elephant, will join the current herd of five female elephants on the park’s elephant habitat in the coming days.
In addition to being an ambassador for his species, Spike will play an important role in Busch Gardens’ conservation efforts, as part of the Association of Zoos and Aquariums’ (AZA) Species Survival Plan (SSP) for sustaining this critically endangered species. Guests can see Spike once he joins the rest of the herd in the coming days on the elephant habitat, which is found across from the Animal Care Center.
“Busch Gardens is a leader in the care of pachyderms, and over the past several years, we have made great strides in developing industry-leading positive reinforcement training methods and a respected behavioral management philosophy for these magnificent animals,” Busch Gardens Park President Jim Dean said.
Spike is 33 years old and weighs more than 12,000 pounds, making him the largest animal at Busch Gardens. Spike was relocated from Calgary Zoo last year and has been behind-the-scenes while the elephant habitat was modified to accommodate this size.
Busch Gardens is owned by SeaWorld Parks & Entertainment™, one of the world’s foremost zoological organizations and a worldwide leader in animal welfare, training, husbandry and veterinary care. The company cares for one of the largest animal collections in North America and has helped lead advances in the care of species in zoological facilities and in the conservation of wild populations.
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