Toronto Elephants on the move!

Two of the elephants at the Toronto Zoo

Toka, Thika and Iringa, the 3 female African elephants that live at the Toronto Zoo, will soon be living in a new home! The Toronto City Council voted 31 to 4 in favour of sending the elephants to an elephant sanctuary in California.

This is great news for these three elephants. They will be living in a warmer place, rather than having to live in a cold climate with freezing temperatures and snow. They will have other elephants to socialize with. And they will have so much more space and freedom. 

A Photo from PAWS' website of Mara roaming in the sanctuary

The Sanctuary that the Toronto elephants will go to is run by PAWS (Performing Animal Welfare Society). PAWS rescues captive wild animals that are neglected or abused, or in need of a new home. They work to stop exotic animals being kept as pets, and to stop wild animals from being used as entertainment.

The elephants at the PAWS sanctuary have hundreds of acres to roam across. There are hills and trees and grassland. There are also lakes for the elephants to bathe in. To learn more about PAWS and the other animals that they have rescued, check out their website at: http://www.pawsweb.org/  It will be exciting to visit their website next year, and to see Toka, Thika, and Iringa at the PAWS Sanctuary!


A photo from PAWS' website of two elephants visiting the lake in the Sanctuary