A zoo in the San Francisco Bay Area has raised enough money to move its last elephant to an out-of-state sanctuary, a spokeswoman said Aug. 15.
The Oakland Zoo will close its elephant exhibit after the move, which is planned for the fall.
The zoo reached its fundraising goal for the journey and other financial needs this week, spokeswoman Isabella Linares told The Epoch Times in an email Thursday. The $500,000 raised will cover Osh’s move and other efforts, including saving elephants in the wild and advocating for their welfare in captivity, according to Linares.
Zoo workers and visitors said they will miss the 15,000-pound elephant, who first arrived 20 years ago.
Moving Osh to The Elephant Sanctuary in Tennessee, however, will allow the elephant to socialize and develop relationships with many other elephants over its lifetime, Colleen Kinzley, vice president of animal care, conservation, and research, said in a July release.
“Although it’s difficult to say farewell to Osh, we’re filled with joy knowing he’s found a new home at The Sanctuary,” Kinzley said. “Those of us who know and love him, including our Oakland Zoo community, will miss him terribly.”
Once moved in the fall, Osh will join the zoo’s last female African elephant Donna, who moved to the facility in September 2023.
Osh’s move to the sanctuary, an Association of Zoos and Aquarium’s accredited facility, will require building a specially designed, air-conditioned trailer with enough space for the 11-foot-2-inch traveler.
The trip will take about 40 hours, according to zoo officials.
Once in Tennessee, Osh will immediately be able to spend time with other elephants as they sniff and communicate with each other.
“Elephants often communicate using low-frequency vocalizations over many miles,” the Oakland Zoo said in a press release.
The sanctuary is building two new 3,000-square-foot barns for Artie, a 41-year-old African elephant male, and the new arrival from Oakland. Osh will get to know Artie across the fence and also be introduced to African female elephants.
“We are hopeful that Osh and Donna will have the opportunity to reunite,” Oakland Zoo officials said.
Early operators of the Oakland Zoo first opened an elephant exhibit with Miss Effie, a popular and much-loved Asian elephant who lived at the zoo from 1951 to 1985. The zoo’s elephant exhibit was open for 73 years.
Without Osh, the zoo will explore options for his former habitat. The zoo expects to invest in renovating the 35-year-old space, including the barn and behind-the-scenes areas to create a new, state-of-the-art facility. The renovation could take at least 18 months to finish, according to officials.
“Oakland Zoo’s ‘elephant program of the future’ requires much more than our habitat and facilities can provide today for this species to thrive in human care,” said Nik Dehajia, CEO of Oakland Zoo.
Oakland Zoo is the 41st zoo in the U.S. to close or pledge to close its elephant exhibit, according to In Defense of Animals, an international animal-rights group.
The San Francisco Zoo hasn’t included elephants in exhibits since 2005, according to a spokesman. The Los Angeles Zoo has elephants, as does the San Diego Zoo Safari Park.
