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SALT LAKE CITY — The elephants at Utah's Hogle Zoo officially left the zoo Tuesday when they were hoisted by a crane and put on a truck.
The African elephants, Christie and Zuri, "voluntarily entered their specialized crates" Tuesday. Those crates were then lifted by a crane over the zoo and placed onto a truck that is now taking the animals to an Association of Zoos and Aquariums accredited zoo home, Hogle Zoo managers said.
A group of zookeepers and vet staff are accompanying the elephants on their journey and an elephant keeper team is on a plane to meet the ground crew once they arrive.
"The meticulous process of loading the two elephants took about six hours and went according to best-laid plans," a press release from the zoo said. "The decision to transfer the elephants to a new home is to join them with a larger multigenerational herd, and a bull elephant for the opportunity to have calves."
The new herd Christie and Zuri are joining has not been announced yet, but the location will be released once the animals have safely arrived and have started adapting to the new space. The elephants' new home was selected by Association of Zoos and Aquariums elephant experts and Hogle Zoo staff who have worked with the elephants for the last 14 years.
"In an unprecedented act of cooperation for Christie and Zuri's comfortable transition, two of Utah's elephant staff will work at the receiving institution for three and six months, respectively," the zoo's statement said.
The departure of the elephants marks an end to a more than 100-year era of having elephants at the zoo. Elephants have always been a major part of zoos in Utah, and the zoo's elephant care program dates back to 1916, more than a decade before Hogle Zoo's current grounds were established.
