Asian elephants Dhunja and Yhetto were set to be moved from Belfast Zoo to a zoo in the Netherlands.
By Claire GrahamA plan to move Belfast Zoo's remaining elephants to the Netherlands is "not a done deal," according to the Dutch zoo's manager.Earlier this week Belfast City Council gave permission for them to travel to Royal Burgers' Zoo in Arnhem, following a recommendation.
Like Belfast Zoo, Burgers' Zoo is a retirement home for elderly adult cow elephants within the Elephant European Endangered Species Programme , the manager said. "If they are being moved to our zoo, first we will visit Belfast to assess the individuals to discuss their character and see if we can integrate them with the two cows we have currently at our facility.
That is because "we are talking about old elephants not part of the reproduction population," he said. Mr Cairns said the reason they have "come to a crossroads" is because the Belfast elephants are in the same age bracket as the Dutch zoo's pair and are considered older and non-breeding.
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