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Elephant Move Questioned By Zoo Association

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The pending move of two elephants to a Mother Lode animal sanctuary could cost the San Francisco Zoo its accreditation from a national trade association.

The zoo´s decision to send the elephants to the Performing Animal Welfare Society´s ARK 2000 sanctuary off Pool Station Road in San Andreas angered the national association, which is in the process of evaluating the San Francisco Zoo for another five-year accreditation stretch.

The American Zoo and Aquarium Association says S.F. Zoo officials ignored the recommendation to place the animals at another association zoo. Four such zoos expressed an interest in taking the two 30 year-old Asian elephants named Tinkerbelle and Lulu.

Nancy Chan, a San Francisco Zoo spokeswoman, says the zoo chose to send the elephants to retire in San Andreas in part because the sanctuary had plenty of room and was close enough that zoo staff members could check on the animals periodically.

ARK 2000 is being questioned because it are not accredited by the American Zoo and Aquarium Association.

Some say it´s more about politics than the care of the animals.

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