Former Woodland Park Zoo elephants Chai, 46, and Bamboo, 48, continue to restat San Diego Zoo after being re-routed en route to their new home at Oklahoma City Zoo, when a snowstorm forced a change of plans. KOMO reports that there are still plans to finish moving the elephants to Oklahoma City, but Woodland Park has not set a new date yet. Some members of the Woodland Park staff are at San Diego keeping an eye on the elephants, with more staff expected to fly down this week. The elephants are being housed in the zoo's animal care center for aging and geriatric elephants (don't worry, ladies, you don't look a day over 30), which is not open to the public.
Seattle activists previously tried to block the elephant's transfer to Oklahoma City Zoo, saying large animals need the space provided by a sanctuary. The LA Times today quotes Woodland Park general curator Nancy Hawkes as saying, "Bamboo is showing signs of contentment by rumbling and purring to her keepers." One thing that must be coming to mind in more than a few quarters, especially considering a federal judge's harsh remarks about the Oklahoma City move: If they're doing so well at San Diego, which has a climate much better suited to the elephants, is anyone thinking of letting them stay there?
