Two large ladies will now be calling Columbus home.
Asian elephant sisters Rudy, 14, and Sunny, 8, are moving to the Columbus Zoo and Aquarium from the Ringling Bros. Barnum and Bailey Center for Elephant Conservation in Florida.
Zoo officials are hoping the two new gals will catch the eye of resident males Hank and Beco, ultimately producing new elephant calves. In the zoo's history, only two baby elephants have been born: Bodhi in 2004 and Beco in 2009.
Any offspring born of Rudy or Sunny would belong the zoo, and would be used as a part of the American Zoological Association's Species Survival Plan.
The indoor elephant facility at the Columbus Zoo is one of the largest in North America. “The expertise of our staff, as well as the size and quality of our elephant facility, means we can meet the social needs of our elephants by keeping them in herds” said Columbus Zoo President and CEO Tom Stalf.
Both Rudy and Sunny were born at the 200-acre Ringling facility in Polk City, Florida. Fled Entertainment, owners of the Ringling Bros. Barnum and Bailey Circus, "retired" the shows elephants to Florida after removing them from performances in early 2016.
The new elephants will undergo a period of quarantine before being introduced into the zoo's AsiaQuest exhibit.
