Tulsa move goes as planned for city zoo's elephant sisters

Elephants Asha and Chandra were loaded onto a specialized trailer after several hours of maneuvering, said Brian Aucone, interim director of the Oklahoma City Zoo. The sisters then spent an hour and a half on the road before arriving at the Tulsa Zoo. They both handled the trip well, Aucone said.

"When we opened up the trailer, they were just standing there, eating, messing around with each other,” he said.

Officials expect to have the elephants at the Tulsa Zoo for two years. The plan is for the bull elephant Sneezy to impregnate sisters Asha and Chandra. While the females are away, Oklahoma City Zoo officials will hurry to build a new exhibit for the pair and their offspring in the upcoming Asia exhibit. The long-term goal is for additional elephants to join the mothers and calves.