News from Woodland Park Zoo:

Woodland Park Zoo announced today that it will phase out its on-site elephant program and continue to move forward with its mission of saving animals and their habitats through conservation leadership.

“We remain committed to putting the welfare of our elephants first. After several months of working to implement the recommendations of the Elephant Task Force, we have found that adding to the herd of our two aging elephants is not realistic in the foreseeable future. It is in the best interest of Bamboo and Chai to live in a social, multi-animal herd in a healthy environment,” said Woodland Park Zoo’s President and CEO Dr. Deborah Jensen. “This can best be accomplished by relocating them to another accredited Association of Zoos & Aquariums facility that is held to exemplary standards of care. Having only one or two elephants at the zoo for the long term would work against the broader social welfare of Chai and Bamboo and we are committed to following the recommendations of elephant health and welfare experts.”

The zoo has two elephants—47-year-old Bamboo and 35-year-old Chai—and hopes to have them placed in an Association of Zoos & Aquariums (AZA) facility sometime in 2015.