Politician fumes over "gay" elephant in zoo

Fri Apr 10, 2009 1:34pm EDT

WARSAW (Reuters) - A Polish politician has criticized his local zoo for acquiring a "gay" elephant named Ninio who prefers male companions and will probably not procreate, local media reported Friday.

"We didn't pay 37 million zlotys ($11 million) for the largest elephant house in Europe to have a gay elephant live there," Michal Grzes, a conservative councilor in the city of Poznan in western Poland, was quoted as saying.

"We were supposed to have a herd, but as Ninio prefers male friends over females how will he produce offspring?" said Grzes, who is from the right-wing opposition Law and Justice party.

The head of the Poznan zoo said 10-year-old Ninio may be too young to decide whether he prefers males or females as elephants only reach sexual maturity at 14.

(Reporting by Chris Borowski; editing by Andrew Roche)

Elephant on Rampage in India

Reuters Oddly Enough Images

An elephant damages a vehicle after going on a rampage in the southern Indian city of Kochi February 27, 2009. The elephant was brought under control after a three-hour rescue operation by animal experts and the police.