FRESNO, Calif. — Mabu saunters across a grassy field and raises his long, gray trunk to wrangle food from a hole carved inside a large boulder, captivating the attention of a girl propped up on her father's shoulders.
Mabhulane (Mabu), right, walks with his female companion in their open roaming area of the Fresno Chaffee Zoo on Jan. 19 in Fresno, Calif.
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Jon Forrest Dohlin, chief executive officer and Fresno Chaffee Zoo director, is shown near the open roaming area for two of the zoo's three elephants, Nolwazi and Amahle, on Jan. 30 in Fresno, Calif.
Gia Martinez, center, was elated about seeing the large male elephant, Mabhulane (Mabu), near the open area where the zoo's three elephants roam Jan. 19 in Fresno, Calif.
Mabhulane (Mabu) is seen in his open roaming area of the Fresno Chaffee Zoo on Jan. 19 in Fresno, Calif.
Photos: Elephants at the Fresno Chaffee Zoo in California
Joe Foster and Nolan Inthavong are shown watching the subtle moves of Mabhulane (Mabu) at the Fresno Chaffee Zoo in Fresno, Calif., Jan. 19, 2023. A community in the heart of California's farm belt has been drawn into a growing global debate over whether elephants should be in zoos. In recent years, some larger zoos have phased out elephant exhibits, but the Fresno Chaffee Zoo has gone in another direction, updating its Africa exhibit and collaborating with the Association of Zoos and Aquariums on breeding. (AP Photo/Gary Kazanjian)
Pawan and Love Deep are photographed at the entrance to the elephant exhibit at the Fresno Chaffee Zoo in Fresno, Calif., Jan. 19, 2023. A community in the heart of California's farm belt has been drawn into a growing global debate over whether elephants should be in zoos. In recent years, some larger zoos have phased out elephant exhibits, but the Fresno Chaffee Zoo has gone in another direction, updating its Africa exhibit and collaborating with the Association of Zoos and Aquariums on breeding. (AP Photo/Gary Kazanjian)
Mabhulane (Mabu) is seen in his open roaming area of the Fresno Chaffee Zoo in Fresno, Calif., Jan. 19, 2023. A community in the heart of California's farm belt has been drawn into a growing global debate over whether elephants should be in zoos. In recent years, some larger zoos have phased out elephant exhibits, but the Fresno Chaffee Zoo has gone in another direction, updating its Africa exhibit and collaborating with the Association of Zoos and Aquariums on breeding. (AP Photo/Gary Kazanjian)
Gia Martinez, center, was elated about seeing the large male elephant, Mabhulane (Mabu), near the open area where the zoo's three elephants roam in Fresno, Calif., Jan. 19, 2023. A community in the heart of California's farm belt has been drawn into a growing global debate over whether elephants should be in zoos. In recent years, some larger zoos have phased out elephant exhibits, but the Fresno Chaffee Zoo has gone in another direction, updating its Africa exhibit and collaborating with the Association of Zoos and Aquariums on breeding. (AP Photo/Gary Kazanjian)
Mabhulane (Mabu) is seen in his open roaming area of the Fresno Chaffee Zoo in Fresno, Calif., Jan. 19, 2023. A community in the heart of California's farm belt has been drawn into a growing global debate over whether elephants should be in zoos. In recent years, some larger zoos have phased out elephant exhibits, but the Fresno Chaffee Zoo has gone in another direction, updating its Africa exhibit and collaborating with the Association of Zoos and Aquariums on breeding. (AP Photo/Gary Kazanjian)
Zookeepers Royce Beneke, left, and Sara Rogers are shown during a training session for Amahle, one of three elephants at the Fresno Chaffee Zoo in Fresno, Calif., Jan. 19, 2023. A community in the heart of California's farm belt has been drawn into a growing global debate over whether elephants should be in zoos. In recent years, some larger zoos have phased out elephant exhibits, but the Fresno Chaffee Zoo has gone in another direction, updating its Africa exhibit and collaborating with the Association of Zoos and Aquariums on breeding. (AP Photo/Gary Kazanjian)
Zookeeper Sara Rogers is shown during a training session for Amahle, one of three elephants at the Fresno Chaffee Zoo in Fresno, Calif., Jan. 19, 2023. A community in the heart of California's farm belt has been drawn into a growing global debate over whether elephants should be in zoos. In recent years, some larger zoos have phased out elephant exhibits, but the Fresno Chaffee Zoo has gone in another direction, updating its Africa exhibit and collaborating with the Association of Zoos and Aquariums on breeding. (AP Photo/Gary Kazanjian)
The front entrance of the Fresno Chaffee Zoo is shown in Fresno, Calif., on Jan. 30, 2023. A community in the heart of California's farm belt has been drawn into a growing global debate over whether elephants should be in zoos. In recent years, some larger zoos have phased out elephant exhibits, but the Fresno Chaffee Zoo has gone in another direction, updating its Africa exhibit and collaborating with the Association of Zoos and Aquariums on breeding. (AP Photo/Gary Kazanjian)
