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Update: Elephants doing well at San Diego Zoo

Posted by: Rebecca Whitham, Editor

Chai and Bamboo continue to do well at San Diego Zoo, a temporary stop on their way to meet their new family at Oklahoma City Zoo. The girls are together in San Diego Zoo’s elephant quarantine area, which includes indoor rooms and an outdoor yard. Quarantine is standard for any animal newly arriving to an accredited zoo. Woodland Park Zoo keepers are with Chai and Bamboo providing them daily care.





In addition to the bulking quantities of hay, grain and produce the elephants consume each day, San Diego Zoo staff has been collecting browse plants for Chai and Bamboo, just as they were used to at Woodland Park Zoo. Yesterday’s flavor of the day—elm—was a big hit.

Bamboo especially has been enjoying the hunt for hidden peanut butter balls, and the two have been chowing down on frozen nectar and fruit-sicles as well. Chai has discovered the water sprinkler in the yard and likes to stand under it when it gets sunny out. They give themselves sand baths and take naps side by side in the middle of the day.

At San Diego Zoo.

We are so grateful to our friends at San Diego Zoo for providing accommodations for Chai and Bamboo during this temporary stop. We are now working with our colleagues at San Diego Zoo and Oklahoma City Zoo and with an expert animal transporter to make plans for getting back on the road when everyone is ready and the logistics are all lined up.

In the meantime, we want to take the opportunity to address some of the misinformation out there and help add clarity to the conflicting reports you may be hearing. We invite you to read through our newest edition of Setting the Record Straight.

Here in Washington state, conservation efforts for elephants continue with the launch this week of signature gathering for Initiative 1401. Woodland Park Zoo has joined a conservation coalition to develop I-1401 in order to prohibit and seek to increase penalties for wildlife trafficking in products made from endangered species including elephants. Look for signature gatherers in your community to help get the initiative on the November ballot.

We will continue to share updates here as news develops, and we deeply appreciate your continued support.

Comments

Anonymous said…
How big are the peanut butter balls? We're so glad they are enjoying their rest stop.
Anonymous said…
Didn't know that OK would have tornadoes and bad weather before the journey. Come on Woodland, we don't buy it. If Chai and Bamboo don't make it, we're not surprised and believe it was planned. Why? Because a viable sanctuary was proposed and turned down.
Alexa Johnson said…
So glad to hear the girls are doing well! We were just at the SD zoo a few months ago and they had an impressive elephant facility. There is so much conflict and misinformation around the elephants...our family knows and appreciates that you (WPZ) always do your best for all of our Seattle animals. Thank you!