MIAMI (WSVN) — Zoo Miami will be adding two very special additions to their exotic animal family, Tuesday.
According to zoo officials, two female African Elephants, Cita and Lisa, will be arriving in Miami from Virginia Zoo as part of a recommendation from the Association of Zoos and Aquariums. The association requires accredited institutions to exhibit and maintain elephants in herds of three or more. Keeping elephants in herds helps support the psychological and physical well-being of the giant creatures.
Lisa, a 42-year-old African elephant who was born in the wild, arrived at the Virginia Zoo in 1976. Cita is almost 48 years old and arrived at the Virginia Zoo from the Indianapolis Zoo, in 2005. The middle-aged females will be joining Zoo Miami’s resident African females, Peggy and Mable, both of whom are 40 years old.
According to zoo officials, all four females are beyond their reproductive ages and therefore will not be part of any breeding program.
While the decision to move the elephants was a tough one for zoo officials and zookeepers at Virginia Zoo, it was ultimately the right choice, said Zoo Miami officials. Zoo Miami is the only zoo in the continental U.S. that is located in a sub-tropical climate where elephants can remain outdoors year-round.
Cita and Lisa will be officially presented to the public on May 20, following the completion of a mandatory quarantine period.
For more information, visit www.zoomiami.org/african-elephants or call Zoo Miami at 305-251-0400.