Judge rejects second attempt to block elephants’ move
May 8, 2015, 2:36 PM
SEATTLE (AP) — A federal judge has again rejected an effort to block the transfer of two Asian elephants from Seattle’s Woodland Park Zoo to the Oklahoma City Zoo.
The Elephant Justice Project wants to see the animals, Chai and Bamboo, moved to an elephant sanctuary in California. The group’s initial request for an order blocking the move to the Oklahoma zoo was rejected by U.S. District Judge John Coughenour (KOO’-en-our), but while the elephants were being transported, a storm forced them to be diverted to the San Diego Zoo.
That prompted the group to go back to court this week. It argued that moving Chai and Bamboo from Southern California to Oklahoma City posed new dangers, including the heat driving across Arizona. But the judge ruled Friday that Woodland Park Zoo staff had taken appropriate measures to protect the animals during transport. The zoo says the move could happen next week.
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