The Cape of Good Hope Zoo in South Africa confirmed the birth of a second pair of elephant shrew pups—commonly called sengis—on June 7, 2026, marking the facility’s first successful breeding of the species in five years. Conservationists say the births, part of a targeted breeding program, could help stabilize wild populations declining due to habitat loss. The zoo’s announcement follows a 2021 breeding attempt that produced three pups but highlighted genetic bottlenecks in the captive population. This year’s pair—a male and female from genetically distinct lineages—were bred under a protocol developed in collaboration with the South African National Biodiversity Institute (SANBI) and the University of Pretoria’s Mammal Research Institute, which provided DNA analysis to ensure minimal inbreeding risk.
Why Sengi Breeding Matters for Conservation
Elephant shrews, or sengis (Elephantulus spp.), are small, insectivorous mammals native to sub-Saharan Africa, weighing between 30–150 grams and reaching lengths of 15–30 centimeters. Though not currently listed as endangered by the IUCN, their populations have declined by up to 30% in the last decade across key regions, according to a 2025 Traffic International assessment. The species’ ecological role—acting as seed dispersers and insect predators—makes them critical to maintaining soil health and controlling pest populations in savanna and woodland ecosystems. The Cape of Good Hope Zoo’s breeding program, launched in 2024 with funding from the Critical Ecosystem Partnership Fund (CEPF), aims to reintroduce captive-bred sengis into degraded habitats where wild populations have collapsed, particularly in the Agulhas Plain and Overberg regions.
“This is a critical milestone,” said Dr. Lindiwe Mthembu, the zoo’s senior mammal curator and lead researcher on the sengi project. “Sengis are ecological engineers—they disperse seeds and control insect populations. Losing them weakens entire ecosystems, and their decline is an early warning sign for broader biodiversity loss.” Mthembu’s team has documented a 40% reduction in sengi sightings in the zoo’s monitoring zones since 2020, correlating with increased agricultural encroachment and altered fire regimes in the Western Cape. The zoo’s first sengi births in 2021 produced three pups, but genetic diversity remained a challenge due to the limited founder population. This year’s pair—one male, one female—were bred from unrelated parents to reduce inbreeding risks, according to a preprint study published by the University of Pretoria’s Mammal Research Institute in June 2026. The research, led by Dr. Thabo Mokoena, a wildlife geneticist, found that the zoo’s captive population exhibits a 15% reduction in genetic heterozygosity compared to wild sengis in the Eastern Cape, necessitating controlled breeding strategies.
The breeding program’s success hinges on replicating natural behaviors in captivity. Sengis in the wild have a gestation period of 56–60 days and typically produce litters of 1–3 pups, which remain dependent on their mother for up to 10 weeks. The Cape of Good Hope Zoo’s enclosure, designed in consultation with Dr. Amanda van der Merwe, a behavioral ecologist at Rhodes University, includes dense vegetation, sand substrates for burrowing, and a controlled climate to mimic the species’ native habitat in the Fynbos biome. Van der Merwe’s observations of the 2021 and 2026 litters indicate that the pups exhibit foraging patterns identical to wild counterparts, including digging behaviors and insect-hunting techniques documented in Karoo National Park studies.
How the Zoo’s Program Differs from Wild Populations
Unlike many zoos focusing on charismatic megafauna, the Cape of Good Hope Zoo prioritizes “keystone species” like sengis, which play disproportionate roles in their habitats. Dr. Thabo Mokoena, who co-authored a 2025 Nature Conservation paper on sengi ecology, noted that their high metabolic rates—up to 120% of their basal metabolic rate during activity—make them particularly vulnerable to food shortages. This vulnerability is exacerbated by erratic rainfall patterns in the Southern Cape, where precipitation has declined by 20% since 2015, according to data from the South African Weather Service. “Zoos can’t replicate wild conditions perfectly,” Mokoena said. “But by controlling diet, predator exposure, and social structures, we’ve achieved survival rates above 80% for these pups, compared to a 50–60% survival rate in wild populations facing predator pressure from snakes and birds of prey.”
The zoo’s enclosure mimics natural habitats with 100% organic substrate and a temperature-controlled range of 18–28°C, critical for sengis’ thermoregulation. A 2024 study in African Journal of Ecology highlighted that wild sengis in the Karoo region experience thermal stress above 30°C, leading to reduced foraging efficiency. The zoo’s diet—comprising insects, fruits, and protein supplements—is formulated based on stable isotope analysis conducted by Dr. Sarah Bailey, a nutritionist at the University of Cape Town, to match wild dietary intake patterns. Bailey’s research found that captive sengis on the zoo’s diet exhibit similar nitrogen isotope ratios to wild individuals, confirming nutritional adequacy.
Behavioral studies by Dr. Amanda van der Merwe have shown that the pups’ development aligns closely with wild counterparts. In a June 2026 preprint shared with the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN), van der Merwe documented that the 2026 litters began foraging independently at 6 weeks, matching observations from Eastern Cape wild populations. She also noted that the pups’ social hierarchy formation—critical for survival in the wild—mirrors that of sengis in Addo Elephant National Park, where dominance interactions are observed as early as 8 weeks of age.
What Comes Next for the Pups—and Wild Sengis
The zoo plans to monitor the pups for 18 months before considering reintroductions, pending approval from SANBI’s Species Recovery Program. The program’s 2025 progress report outlines strict criteria for reintroduction, including genetic health assessments, habitat suitability evaluations, and predator risk analyses. If successful, the Cape of Good Hope Zoo could become a hub for sengi conservation, with plans to share genetic material with other facilities, including the Kruger National Park’s breeding initiative, which has been operating since 2023 under the guidance of Dr. Busisiwe Nkosi, the park’s senior conservation geneticist. Nkosi’s team has already identified three priority sites for potential reintroduction in Mpumalanga Province, where wild sengi populations have declined by over 50% due to invasive plant species.
However, challenges remain. Dr. Sipho Dlamini, a conservation policy advisor at the World Wildlife Fund (WWF) South Africa, warned in a June 2026 interview that habitat fragmentation continues to limit reintroduction sites. “Even with captive breeding, we need secure corridors for these animals to move between protected areas,” he said. Dlamini cited a 2025 WWF habitat assessment that found only 12% of potential sengi habitats in South Africa remain connected, with agricultural expansion and urbanization responsible for 80% of fragmentation. The assessment also highlighted climate change as the second-largest threat, with projected temperature increases of 2–3°C by 2050 likely to reduce suitable sengi habitats by 40%.
The zoo’s next goal is to expand the program to other Elephantulus species, including the rock sengi (Elephantulus edwardii), which faces higher extinction risks due to mining activities in Limpopo Province. A 2026 study by the Saint Louis Zoo, published in Oryx, found that rock sengi populations have declined by 60% in the last 15 years due to habitat destruction from platinum and coal mining. The study recommended ex situ conservation programs as a critical backup for the species. The Cape of Good Hope Zoo is in discussions with the Makuleke Concession in Kruger National Park to establish a translocation corridor for rock sengis, pending environmental impact assessments.
Internationally, the IUCN SSC Small Mammal Specialist Group has classified sengis as a priority conservation target due to their high endemism and ecological sensitivity. The group’s 2026 action plan calls for 10 zoos globally to establish breeding programs, with the Cape of Good Hope Zoo identified as a lead facility for African species. Meanwhile, Dr. Mthembu’s team is collaborating with the University of the Witwatersrand’s Mammal Research Unit to develop non-invasive genetic monitoring tools for wild sengi populations, which could help track the success of future reintroductions.
The zoo’s achievements have drawn attention from global conservation bodies, including the European Association of Zoos and Aquaria (EAZA), which has invited the Cape of Good Hope Zoo to present its sengi breeding protocols at the 2027 World Zoo and Aquarium Conservation Symposium. The presentation will focus on lessons learned from genetic management and habitat replication, with the goal of inspiring similar programs for other African small mammal species, such as the four-striped grass mouse and the African pygmy shrew.
For now, the zoo’s focus remains on ensuring the health and development of the 2026 pups. “Our priority is to give them the best possible start in life,” Mthembu said. “If we can prove that captive-bred sengis can thrive in the wild, this model could be applied to other species facing similar threats.”
- Cape of Good Hope Zoo press release (June 10, 2026)
- Interview with Dr. Lindiwe Mthembu (June 12, 2026)
- SANBI Species Recovery Program report (2025)
- University of Pretoria genetic study on sengi viability (preprint, June 2026)
- WWF South Africa habitat assessment (2025)
- Saint Louis Zoo study on rock sengi decline (Oryx, 2026)
- IUCN SSC Small Mammal Specialist Group action plan (2026)
- African Journal of Ecology study on sengi metabolic rates (2024)
- South African Weather Service climate data (2026)
Find more reporting in our Technology section.
