Photo by Dan Dan The Binary Man.

Kandula, one of the National Zoo’s Asian Elephants, rolled out of town today, leaving his birthplace for the Oklahoma City Zoo and Botanical Garden—and a herd with females that he isn’t related to.

Born to Shanthi in 2001, Kandula was only the fifth elephant in the world conceived via artificial insemination. He’s gone from a sprightly 324 pounds at birth to approximately 7,400 pounds and become increasingly independent as he’s gotten older. According to the zoo, it is normal for male elephants to spend less time with their birth group as they mature. And that is how they knew it was time to find Kandula a new home.

He is participating in the Species Survival Plan for Asian elephants, the Association of Zoos and Aquariums’ breeding program.

The zoo has been preparing Kandula for the stressful journey for months, acclimating him to the 7-foot-long, 8-foot-tall, 17,000-pound crate that will cart him to Oklahoma City.

“Although it’s bittersweet to say goodbye,” the National Zoo writes, it is best for him. “This move supports his natural development and his genes will contribute to the genetic diversity within the Association of Zoos and Aquariums Asian Elephant population.”

Kandual’s arrival will bring the Oklahoma Zoo’s total up to eight elephants. But breeding isn’t in the immediate cards.

“He’s not going to have much pressure on him to come in and meet everyone right away,” elephant program supervisor Nick Newby told The Oklahoman. “The plan is for him to come in and learn the habitat and the elephant house. We’ll slowly introduce him to the rest of the elephants after that.”