The Tulsa Zoo recently welcomed three new residents.
There's 48-year-old Booper, a female Asian elephant; 14-year-old Sally, a female white rhino; and 18-month-old Zoe, a female giraffe.
Tulsa Zoo President and CEO Lindsay Hutchison said they all arrived around the same time late last month.
"It’s pretty unheard of for us to bring these three large animals over the course of two weeks, but with the pandemic, all animal shipments had all been pushed to fall and we really have to make sure that we move them during favorable weather," Hutchison said.
Booper came to the Tulsa Zoo from another facility shutting down its elephant program. Sally and Zoe came from the Columbus and Omaha zoos.
"They’re acclimating really well to the rest of their herds, and we’re just excited to have them here. Both Sally, the rhino, and Zoe, the giraffe, are here on a breeding recommendation. So, hopefully we’ll have some future giraffes and rhinos," Hutchison said.
Booper joined female Sooky and male Sneezy. Their last herd mate, Gunda, died in January 2018 at the age of 67. She was the first elephant at the Tulsa Zoo and arrived in 1954.
