Published: June 24, 2009 11:47 pm      

Philly Zoo elephants moving to Somerset

FAIRHOPE — The Philadelphia Zoo’s two female African elephants are moving to southwestern Pennsylvania.

Kallie and Bette will join Jackson, a male African elephant, at the Pittsburgh Zoo’s center for rare and endangered species. The Philadelphia Zoo doesn’t have the money to bring its elephant habitat up to modern standards.

The zoos say the pachyderms will be trucked to their new quarters after the July 4 weekend.

The Pittsburgh Zoo’s 724-acre International Conservation Center is a new preservation and education facility in Somerset County.

The group Friends of Philly Zoo Elephants plans a protest of the move on Saturday.

The group calls the conservation center a “breeding facility” and says breeding in captivity is dangerous for elephants.