A Polish politician has blasted his local zoo for splashing out on a "gay" elephant.

Elephant

Michal Grzes lashed out over the acquisition of Ninio, who prefers the company of other male elephants and is unlikely to procreate, local media reported.

"We didn't pay 37 million zlotys (£7.6m) for the largest elephant house in Europe to have a gay elephant live there," Mr Grzes was quoted as saying.

"We were supposed to have a herd, but as Ninio prefers male friends over females how will he produce offspring?"

Mr Grzes, from the right-wing opposition Law and Justice party, is a councillor in the western Polish city of Poznan.

The head of the Poznan zoo said Ninio may be too young to decide whether he prefers males or females.

Ninio is only 10 years old but elephants do not reach sexual maturity until they are 14.

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