Tennoji Zoo in Osaka has confirmed the arrival of three elephants from Malaysia — the zoo’s first elephants since the death of its last elephant, Hiroko, in 2018.

The elephants are:

• Kelat, male, 20
• Dara, female, 14
• Amoi, female, 9

The development follows years of scrutiny of Tennoji Zoo’s elephant program by Elephants in Japan, which previously called on the zoo not to acquire new elephants after Hiroko spent the final years of her life alone.

The elephants arrived on 11 March 2026. The zoo says the elephants were transferred as part of a “Malaysian Elephant Conservation Program,” with plans for long-term keeping, breeding and research.