Zuberi
African Elephant
36" x 36" Oil on Board
Zuberi, Xolani, and Simunye were among the six elephants that came to the Sedgwick County Zoo in Wichita KA in early 2016. That’s where I met only a few months after their arrival from drought-stricken landlocked Swaziland in southern Africa. The zoos were helping Swaziland protect their rhino population in return. Zuberi was eight years old when I met her. She, Xolani, and Talia, another young female are likely cousins and were bonded as a trio when they landed. All the elephants arrived emaciated and quickly began adding weight. Food was abundant. Their new habitat was grassy, with mature trees, a pond, waterfall, stream, and a lake deep enough for complete immersion – all things they had likely never seen.