TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) The two elephants living at the Topeka Zoo aren’t going anywhere.
The Topeka City Council voted unanimously Tuesday to support the zoo’s decision to keep the elephants, 52-year-old Sunda and 42-year-old Tembo.
The zoo and council had been pressured for weeks by critics who said the elephants weren’t getting proper care and should be transferred to a sanctuary in Tennessee.
The council’s vote required the zoo to improve its elephant program. Zoo director Brendan Wiley says changes are planned, and zoo patrons will see improvements as early as February.
The Topeka Capital-Journal reports that Wiley says the focus of the program will change from viewing the elephants as an exhibit to considering their living space as a 24-hour habitat.
