Published: June 07, 2008 10:50 pm         

Elephant barn nears completion

FAIRHOPE — Pittsburgh Zoo administrators are taking advantage of construction-friendly weather to work toward finishing a barn for bull elephants to be brought to a new breeding center in Somerset County this year.

“It’s moving along very well,” zoo spokeswoman Tracy Gray said. “Construction is underway.”

By August, the center should be complete at a 724-acre former game preserve that the zoo is turning into an International Conservation Center. African elephants are the first on a list of endangered species to be bred at the facility.

Meanwhile, two 25-year-old cows, Moja and Savannah, are on the verge of giving birth at the zoo. Gray said they likely will have two female babies within the next week. Elephants calves can weigh up to 250 pounds, she said, and require a gestation period of about 20 months.

Those elephants are not slated for the center at this point, she said.

Another zoo resident will be headed to the center when it’s ready: 28-year-old Jackson, the most successful breeding bull in the country. He is to be bred with two females from the Philadelphia Zoo, 24-year-old Kallie and Bette, within eight months of their arrival in Somerset County.

Another cow, 51-year-old Petal, will be taken to the rural setting for retirement.

Future construction plans include a one-acre indoor facility to house up to 20 elephants, though Gray pointed out that there always will be elephants at the Pittsburgh Zoo. An indoor arena for exercise in winter months also is planned for the center.

Other endangered animals, such as Grevy’s zebras and African wild dogs, also may be moved to the site in the future.

A $2.5 million fundraising campaign is making swift progress and fundraisers will be announced, Gray added.

     

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