How Can Tom the Young African Elephant's Paternal Potential be Developed and Fostered???

Handsome Adolescent Tom: But He Needs Tusks for Sex Appeal -- Or His Only Chance for Fatherhood will be Artificial Insemination!

The zoo veterinarians keep his self-damaged tusk stubs bandaged -- But will they be able to find a means to keep Tom from damaging them so much that they will never grow??

Clockwise right to left:

Tom's right tusk had actually reached one meter in length before he broke it off;

Tom's left tusk had been broken off earlier...;

A volunteer at the zoo told me about Tom's family: Tom's mother and two sisters are at a zoo in Shikoku, one of Japan's main islands. Tom's father passed away several years ago.

Tom was getting a drink of water from a water pipe as I posed for this picture with him in the background.

Dear Fellow Earthlings,

On January 14, 2020 I visited the Tama Zoo in Tokyo, Japan. My goal was to see the two African elephants that are housed there. Their English names are Tom and "Ako".

I went there not as a tourist, but as a factfinder. As of late, I have soured on the notion of "being a tourist" for many reasons. I went there strictly to see how the two African elephants at the Tama Zoo are faring.

Shortly before I entered the zoo, I had learned that Ako, who is about 55 years old (equivalent roughly to 75 years of age in human years), has been in mourning because her longtime zoo companion "Chiki" passed away on November 26th of last year. Ako is still feeling extreme sadness and is not in the mood to leave her shelter and face zoo visitors.

But Tom, soon-to-be 11 years of age (about 16 years of age in human years) came out to see the small number of people who ventured to the portion of the zoo where he and Ako live.

I was very happy to see Tom. He is a gangly young male African bush elephant. He did not display any of the classic elephant gestures of panic that I have learned about. And he moved in a relaxed, rather sophisticated manner, considering how young he still is.

However, instead of the tusks characteristic of a young male African elephant, Tom had only two bandaged stumps... I talked with one of the volunteers who works at Tama zoo and he told me that due to some sort of distress/stress, Tom persists in rubbing his tusk stumps (formerly his developing tusks -- but which broke off due to his compulsion to continually slam them against hard surfaces) - against any hard surfaces that he can find!

It is not hard for me to imagine how Tom feels: trapped, without friends, without mentors, bored, without a whole lot of hope...

This young elephant is at an age where he would be leaving a female-led herd and would join a male herd, where he would learn how to be an attractive, masculine suitor.

Particularly, since his tusks are unlikely ever to develop, ways must be found to entertain him and stimulate him so that at least his semen can eventually be used to produce some heirs.

Here I am not being pessimistic, but rather realistic. I will convey these feelings to the Tama zoo and to as many elephant specialists as I can in hopes of bringing some relief to Tom.

Steve Walker

Earthsaver and Jingles Creator

© 2013 Steve Walker, The Jingles-The Japan Foundation for English Pronunciation, Summit Enterprises.