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Wichita zoo needs to make room for 1 more elephant

2/2/2012

WICHITA, Kan. (AP) -- The Sedgwick County Zoo needs to make its elephant exhibit larger or risk losing its two pachyderms.

The Wichita Eagle (http://bit.ly/yKzqEa ) reports that the Association of Zoos and Aquariums is requiring that all zoos it accredits have space for at least three elephants by September 2016. Elephants are social animals, and the organization doesn't want them living alone.

The Sedgwick County Zoo is trying to decide what it needs to do to keep the elephants that have lived there since 1972.

A new exhibit would cost about $16 million, while a temporary fix -- renovating the existing exhibit -- would cost about $1 million. Officials say a full redo would be tough until the economy improves, but there are concerns about putting money into such an old exhibit.

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Information from: The Wichita Eagle, http://www.kansas.com