KANSAS CITY, Mo. — The Kansas City Zoo & Aquarium is home a new mom-daughter African elephant pair that was transferred from Utah's Hogle Zoo, the KC zoo announced Thursday.
Christie, 37, and her 14-year-old daughter, Zuri, were moved to Kansas City based on the recommendation of the Association of Zoos and Aquariums (AZA) Species Survival Plan for African elephants. The pair will join the zoo's multi-generational herd of seven, made up of one male and six females.
“We are thrilled to welcome these new elephants to Kansas City. I am proud of the time and resources that have been put into this move to ensure the highest level of animal care and well-being," Sean Putney, executive director and CEO of Kansas City Zoo & Aquarium, said Thursday in a press release. "This is really what our network of AZA-accredited zoos is all about, working together for the benefit of wildlife, and I have never seen a better example of that than during this process."
The transfer will offer the elephants a chance to socialize with the multi-generational heard — which includes 55-year-old Lady, the oldest African elephant in the U.S. — and provide opportunities for future reproduction, according to a press release from the zoo.
The zoos worked together for months leading up to the transfer to ensure a healthy move for the elephants, who are currently in quarantine to familiarize themselves with their new home in Kansas City before meeting the rest of their new herd.
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