The only elephant left at the Oakland Zoo will be moving to a sanctuary in Tennessee this fall, and once the male elephant Osh is gone, there won’t be any more elephants at any zoos in the Bay Area.
In September 2023, the Oakland Zoo sent it’s 44-year-old female elephant Donna to a sanctuary in Tennessee, because her years-long companion Lisa had to be euthanized, leaving Donna lonely and depressed. Elephants are very social animals, and need companionship. So you felt bad for the last remaining elephant at the zoo, 30-year-old male Osh, who was not only the last remaining elephant at the Oakland Zoo, but the last remaining elephant at any zoo in the Bay Area.
Now we’re losing Osh too. The Chronicle reports that the Oakland Zoo will be surrendering Osh, its last remaining elephant, later this year.
“Elephants are social herd animals, and despite our best efforts with [the Association of Zoos and Aquariums] over the last year to find him compatible companions to move to Oakland, none were available,” the zoo announced on Facebook Tuesday. “Therefore, after careful consideration, we have decided that moving him to the Sanctuary, while difficult and heartbreaking, is the best solution for his overall wellbeing.”
Osh, who weighs 15,000 pounds and is 11 feet tall, will be moved to the Elephant Sanctuary in Tennessee. He’ll be transported in what the Oakland Zoo calls a “specially designed, air-conditioned trailer” for the 40-hour ride to Tennessee.
“Although it's difficult to say farewell to Osh, we're filled with joy knowing he's found a new home at The Sanctuary," Oakland Zoo vice president of animal care, conservation and research Colleen Kinzley said in a statement on the zoo’s website. “He will have the opportunity to socialize and develop relationships with many other elephants over his lifetime. Something that we could not offer him here. Those of us who know and love him, including our Oakland Zoo community, will miss him terribly.”
Once Osh is gone, it will be the first time in 75 years that the Oakland Zoo will be without an elephant. The zoo has said Osh will be moving “this fall,” so the remaining summer months will be your last opportunity to see the big fella.
Image: Oakland Zoo via Facebook
