SALT LAKE CITY — After leaving Utah's Hogle Zoo earlier this week, beloved elephants Christie and Zuri have arrived at their new home.
The elephants can now call the Kansas City Zoo and Aquarium in Missouri their home.
Christie and Zuri join a herd of seven other African elephants that includes six females and one male, who is a genetically diverse match for Zuri, Hogle Zoo explained.
A major reason why the beloved elephants were relocated was to give Zuri, who is 13 years old and in her prime reproductive years, the chance to have a calf.
“Utah’s Hogle Zoo believes we have selected an accredited partner who meets all the goals we sought for Christie and Zuri, including excellence in animal care, a multigenerational herd, and the opportunity for offspring,” said Doug Lund, Utah’s Hogle Zoo president and CEO in a statement. “Working with the team over these many planning months has formed a bond that will continue our collaboration with African elephants and updates on Christie and Zuri’s progress.”
Now that they've arrived at their new home, Christie and Zuri will go through a quarantine period to "give them time to acclimate...and to protect all the elephants' health," Hogle Zoo explained.
Even though they are currently separated from the rest of the herd physically, the other elephants can already see, hear and smell the Christie and Zuri so they can all get used to each other.
Zookeepers in Kansas City began getting to know Utah's elephants this summer as they visited the Beehive State. When Christie and Zuri made their big trip, zookeepers and vet staff from both zoos accompanied them.
Elephant keepers from Hogle Zoo will also be staying in Kansas City for the next three to six months to help Christie and Zuri get acclimated to their new environment, in what Hogle Zoo called an "unprecedented act of cooperation."
The zoo in Kansas City is much larger at 202 acres compared to Hogle Zoo's 42 acres.
The elephant herd's habitat is more than three acres in Kansas City and has a large pool, mud hole, two waterfalls, shade structures, and a variety of substrates for the elephants to explore, interact and train.
While Utah was sad to see Christie and Zuri move out, Hogle Zoo said it was best for their overall health and breeding to be with a larger herd.
