When Two Elephants is Just Not Enough

Elephants are social creatures. They need the presence of other elephants. Starting in 2016, the Association of Zoos and Aquariums will require room for three elephants if a zoo wants to retain AZA accreditation.

There are 20 or so "two-elephant zoos" in the United States. One such is the Sedgwick County Zoo in Wichita, where African elephants Cinda and Stephanie have been together for 40 years. Unless the zoo is expanded, they would have to move, possibly getting split up.

"They are like sisters, they came here when they were five feet tall and grew up together," said Mike Quick, curator of mammals at the Sedgwick County Zoo. "What would happen if one died? It would be traumatic."

A recent turn for the worse:

"Sedgwick County Zoo is sad to announce that Cinda, African elephant, passed away the morning of November 5, 2014. The Sedgwick County Zoo will continue to work on raising funds for the construction of the Elephants of the Zambezi River Valley habitat, set to open in May of 2016. There is approximately $900,000 left to raise in the public campaign."
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The situation in Topeka is not much better. The Topeka Zoo also has two very aged elephants: Sunda, 54, an Asian elephant, and Tembo, 44, an African elephant, inhabiting cramped quarters. Most places keep Asian and African elephants apart, so if they were retired to a sanctuary, these longstanding friends would probably have to be split up. An expanded facility has been discussed, but even if approved, construction is projected to take five years, exceeding the animals' expected remaining lifetime.
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Reproduction requires, of course, bull elephants, but keeping bull elephants is much more difficult. Much of routine elephant care is hands-on: daily washing and scrubbing, foot care, etc. Cow elephants become tame and acclimated to this. They learn to obey commands, and even put on shows for the visitors. As a result, the zoo man in charge of them is called an elephant "trainer".

Bull elephants, on the other hand, remain wild and dangerous, and must be handled like any other wild animal, always separated from their caretaker by heavy bars.

Still, there is at least some good news:

The Portland Zoo has a new 300 lb baby elephant. The mother is a permanent resident of the zoo, while the father was obtained on loan from an elephant rental company, "Have Trunk Will Travel".
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 Q. How can you tell you have two elephants in your refrigerator?
A. You can hear them giggling when the light goes out.