An attendant from Bostwana leads one of three female elephants rescued from South Africa. The elephants now belong to the Pittsburgh Zoo. (Roger Vogel) |
FAIRHOPE—
The International Conservation Center near Fairhope has three female elephants that were rescued from South Africa.In 1992 Uttum and Dinkey Corea, Botswana, heard about three young female elephants that were orphaned during a government authorized cull in the Kruger National Park in South Africa.
They rescued the elephants and moved them to their farm in Botswana. They built an elephant orphanage and the Corea children, two girls and a boy, grew up with the elephants that they named Thandi, Seeni and Sukiri. At the time the children were taller than the elephants. They played together and bonded. Thandi means “love” and Seeni and Sukiri both mean “sugar.”
When the elephants got larger, the Coreas moved the elephants to the Mokolodi Nature Reserve and Education Center, near the city of Gaborone. Uttum was a founding trustee of the center. That enabled visitors to see the elephants up close. England’s Princess Royal Anne and George W. and Laura Bush, and their daughter, Barbara, were among those to visit the elephants.
When the female elephants reached sexual maturity, they were sent to a camp in the Okavango Delta, a wilderness area in Botswana, to be mated by wild bull elephants. One gave birth, but her male infant failed to thrive.
In 2010 an experienced handler was injured. Because of the distance from medical care, he died. Under wildlife laws in Botswana, animals involved in fatal accidents must be killed. The Coreas, and the deceased handler’s fiance, appealed to the wildlife authorities.
A compromise was reached that the elephants would not be killed, but had to be exported. The Coreas appealed to the Association of Zoos & Aquariums for help. The association contacted the Pittsburgh Zoo & PPG Aquarium.
“Despite all the hurdles and challenges we would face, we knew we had to try,” said Dr. Barbara Baker, president and CEO of the Pittsburgh Zoo. “The most difficult part was obtaining the proper permits and finding a plane that could carry three full-grown elephants. We made significant strides and then were stalled for weeks. When it all came together, I almost couldn’t believe it. We helped rescue three fabulous elephants who have just an incredible history.”
After weeks of crate training, the elephants were transported by truck from Gaborone, Botswana, to the Johannesburg airport. They were loaded in crates and onto a chartered 747 cargo plane and flew to the Pittsburgh International Airport.
“They traveled very well,” Baker said. “The pilots worked hard to keep it comfortable for them. They even flew around a thunderstorm.”
Somerset County residents assisted: Tom Menser helped build a quarantine area at the ICC; Clyde Mostoller, Lake Road Trucking, transported the elephants; and Jerry Darr helped lift the crates with a crane. The Richard King Mellon Foundation and the Colcom Foundation paid the $750,000 transportation costs. The elephants arrived on July 15 after a 20-hour flight.
“The Coreas made the difficult decision to send the elephants all the way across the world,” Baker said. “They trust us to take care of them.”
Uttum Corea, his daughters Iresha Corea-Sapp and Thushara Corea, and grandson Dylan Sapp, 8, along with Thushara’s fiance, Caton Walker, were at a press conference on Tuesday to introduce the elephants to the news media.
“When they were released, the first thing they did was come and munch on maple trees,” Uttum said.
When released from the enclosure on Tuesday, the three female elephants — ages 18, 18 and 20 — walked through the trees into the fenced-in area to eat hay. Uttum walked through the electric fence to be with the elephants. Two mahouts (handlers) came along with the elephants and are staying for awhile. One is a fourth generation mahout.
Iresha Corea-Sapp said the family knew that they could find the elephants a new home. They were very pleased when they saw the ICC.
“For me, this is a slice of heaven here for these girls,” she said. “This is a gorgeous setting. There’s a weight being lifted off of us. It’s an enormous sense of relief and peace.”
The three female elephants now belong to the Pittsburgh Zoo. They will be in quarantine for 60 to 90 days. They will be vaccinated and tested for diseases — and a DNA test will be done to determine if they are biological siblings. When the quarantine time has passed, if they are healthy, they will be introduced to the other elephants already living at the ICC: Jackson, Kallie and Bette. Jackson and the Philly girls can hear the new elephants trumpeting.
“Jackson was out in the yard, but being the king, ignored them at first,” Baker said.
Willie Theison, elephant manager, said Jackson, Kallie and Bette realize that Thandi, Seeni and Sukiri are there. The Botswanan elephants are used to hearing other elephants trumpet, but the Pittsburgh elephants aren’t. They now lift their heads and listen when the newcomers trumpet.
“Jackson’s realized where they are,” Theison said. “It took him a couple of days. Most of his yard has trees but the far end is open. He spends a lot of time there because it’s the closest place to them.”
Dr. Ginger Takle, zoo veterinarian, said the three females appear healthy.
“They look fantastic,” she said. “I’m very pleased with the condition they are in.”
It is very critical that they look into the possibility of breeding the three females, Theison said. Jackson is the leading breeding bull elephant in the nation. There are only about 24 female breeding elephants in the U.S. Kallie and Bette are not suitable for breeding — one has a medical issue and the other is past breeding age.
Uttum Corea is planning on visiting the elephants as he visits his own children.
“It’s hard to let them go, it’s like leaving go of my children,” he said. “But it’s important to think of what’s best for your children and the elephants and to not be selfish. My sister thinks it is part of God’s plan for the elephants to come to the USA. She said it is going to be a wonderful place. This is not just a gift from my family to the new guardians — it is a gift from the people of Botswana to the people of the USA. Long may you enjoy the elephants.”
