Meet Shaka, our African Bull Elephant

Shaka is the oldest male in our African elephant group here at Noah’s Ark Zoo Farm. With his long, symmetrical tusks, he’s easy to spot — and over the past seven years, he’s become an important figure within the herd.

Shaka plays a key role as the dominant male in our bachelor group. In the wild, male African elephants often leave their family herds in adolescence and join bachelor groups, where they form loose social bonds with other males. These groups are essential for young bulls as they mature, providing opportunities to learn appropriate social behaviours and gain experience before entering full adulthood.

At Noah’s Ark, Shaka has taken on a mentoring role. He’s helped guide Janu, who arrived as a younger male and has since grown into a confident, capable bull. Much of that development can be credited to Shaka’s leadership and consistent behaviour. Now, Janu is beginning to pass on what he’s learned to our youngest elephants, Sutton and Uli — a natural progression that reflects the social structure of elephant herds.

While the dynamics shift as the group grows and matures, Shaka remains the top-ranking bull — a role he holds with authority.

Watch our Elephant keeper, Connor, talk about Shake here… 

Our elephants live in Elephant Eden, the largest purpose-built facility of its kind in the UK and Northern Europe. The habitat is designed to support natural behaviours and social interaction, with spacious indoor and outdoor areas, mud wallows, and varied enrichment. It also allows us to facilitate the complex social needs of a bachelor group, supporting each animal through different life stages.

Visitors can often see Shaka interacting with the rest of the herd, or taking time to himself in the habitat’s larger spaces. His presence has helped shape the herd into what it is today — a stable, developing bachelor group with strong social bonds.