FRESNO CHAFFEE ZOO WELCOMES TWO AFRICAN ELEPHANTS

Fresno, CA – Even though African Adventure, the Zoo’s 13-acre exhibit, won’t open until October, many African animals are already settling in to their new homes. “Animal transportation takes a lot of time and planning,” said Dan Subaitis, general curator at Fresno Chaffee Zoo.

“Our goal was to get the animals moved in before it gets too hot. This also gives them time to acclimate and get comfortable in their new surroundings.”

The newest addition to the savannah-style exhibit are a mother and daughter pair of African elephants, Amy, 27, and Miss Betts, 7. The duo comes to Fresno from Riddle’s Elephant and Wildlife Sanctuary in Arkansas and will help to ensure the survival of African elephants by establishing a breeding herd.

The move is a milestone for the Zoo as Amy and Miss Betts are the first African elephants to live at the Zoo. In addition to African elephants, two cheetahs and four wildebeest have also arrived – although they are not on exhibit just yet. Instead, they are serving out their quarantine period in brand-new holding yards and night houses.

“The quarantine period is very important because it allows us to monitor the new animals to make sure they are healthy and do not pose a disease risk to our existing collection,” said Dr. Lewis Wright, Fresno Chaffee Zoo veterinarian.

Because African Adventure requires numerous large animals with special husbandry needs to be quarantined during the same, short period of time, large outdoor spaces were incorporated into the design process so that they could serve as quarantine areas.

“By utilizing these new areas, and all of our existing quarantine space, we have been able to keep up with the animal acquisitions,” Wright said. “We are on schedule to have all the animals in and clear of quarantine with sufficient time to devote to the animal introductions that will be necessary to open in October.”

African elephants, Loxodonta africana, are found scattered throughout sub-Saharan Africa and prefer to be near water. They are the largest extant terrestrial animals and can weigh up to 15,500 pounds. These herbivores eat up to 300 pounds of plant material per day, as well as an abundant amount of fruits and vegetables. Currently, African elephants are considered Vulnerable – poaching for ivory is a continued threat, as well as habitat fragmentation by human development.