Lonely elephant to join herd at National Zoo in DC

WASHINGTON – A new elephant will be joining the herd at the National Zoo in Washington after her companion died at a zoo in Louisiana.

The zoo announced Friday that Bozie, a 37-year-old Asian elephant, will join three others in Washington. In March, a 46-year-old elephant named Judy died at the Baton Rouge Zoo, leaving Bozie alone.

Elephants are a herd species, so zoo officials say they don’t want to leave one alone.

The National Zoo recently opened a larger elephant facility after a $56 million overhaul, including a walking trail. The expansion more than tripled the elephants’ living space. The zoo plans to triple the size of its herd.

Bozie is considered beyond her reproductive years. Once she arrives, she will be quarantined for 30 days.

Asian elephants are critically endangered.

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Bozie will be on loan from the Baton Rouge Zoo after her last companion at the Baton Rouge Zoo died in March. (Courtesy Smithsonian National Zoo.)

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