New female elephant arrives at zoo

Associated Press

CLEVELAND

The newest female elephant at the Cleveland Metroparks Zoo has arrived from a Nebraska zoo after an uneventful 800-mile drive.

Cleveland zoo curator Geoff Hall tells The Plain Dealer an African elephant named Shenga left warmer, sunny weather in Omaha and arrived amid snow in Ohio on Friday.

Shenga is expected to be in quarantine for a few days and will be introduced to the zoo’s other three female elephants in about a week. She weighs 7,900 pounds, making her the second-smallest in the group, and she’s estimated to be 28 years old.

All four will be part of the new African Elephant Crossing opening at the Cleveland zoo in May. A larger, 32-year-old male elephant named Willy is expected to be brought in from Walt Disney World in Florida.