The 47 year old elephant will join will join nine other elephants ranging in age from 37 to 60 in her new home Credit: Courtesy / The San Antonio Zoo

The  San Antonio Zoo will say farewell to its remaining captive elephant this week. 

Nicole, a 47-year-old Asian elephant, will spend her reaming days roaming the Elephant Sanctuary, a 3,060-acre nature refuge in Tennessee, according to zoo officials. Until last year the San Antonio Zoo was home to three elderly elephants nicknamed, the Golden Girls. Two of them, Karen and Lucky, died in 2022, leaving Nicole alone. 

“We are going to miss Nicole dearly,” San Antonio Zoo CEO Tim Morrow said in a statement. “We are grateful for the years she spent with us as one of the Golden Girls. She and Karen bonded beyond expectations with Lucky and inspired visitors to care for and want to protect elephants from extinction.” While no elephants remain at the San Antonio Zoo, Morrow is adamant that more will be coming to the facility.

“Elephants WILL return to San Antonio Zoo in the future as part of the zoo’s expansion with a new world-class elephant habitat,” Morrow added.

The 108-year-old is going is experiencing major growth and undertaking numerous facilities upgrades, although officials wouldn’t set a date for elephants to return. 

“A new world-class elephant habitat is included in the zoo’s master plan, and design work will begin in the coming years,” zoo officials said in a statement supplied to the Current. “The timing will depend on philanthropy and assistance from governmental agencies, which are necessary for the zoo to build large-scale capital projects.”

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This article appears in Feb 22 – Mar 7, 2023.