New Elephant Joins Others at National Zoo

Bozie leaves quarantine, joins herd

A new Asian elephant is being introduced to the other elephants at the National Zoo and will begin sharing the same living space.

The new addition, 37-year-old Bozie joined the zoo's two other females Thursday in the elephant community center.

Bozie had been in quarantine for 30 days following her arrival from the Baton Rouge Zoo in May. In recent days, curators have moved Bozie gradually closer to the other females to introduce them.

Now they have formed a new herd. A zoo spokeswoman says the oldest elephant, 65-year-old Ambika, seems to hold the dominant position over 38-year-old Shanthi and Bozie. (She has not yet been introduced to the National Zoo's 11-year-old male, Kandula.)

Zoo records indicate Bozie and Shanthi -- who's been known to play a mean harmonica -- lived together briefly as calves in Sri Lanka before coming to North America.

Bozie was moved from Baton Rouge after her companion died earlier this spring. She appears to have demonstrated a proficiency for painting.

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