Calif. facility offers to take, pay, for Anchorage elephant, Maggie

ANCHORAGE, Alaska — A proposal is on the table to get Alaska's only elephant out of the state, and for the first time this summer, the Alaska Zoo and animal-rights groups could have something to agree on.

The Performing Animal Welfare Society, located in Galt, Calif., has offered to take Maggie and pay for her relocation costs, including air transportation, veterinary evaluations and professional training to prepare her for crate travel, zoo officials said Friday.

The facility would also pay for Maggie's keepers to travel with her to her prospective new home — 30 acres where she would live with nine other elephants. PAWS has also offered to fund a $100,000 grant for animal habitat improvements at the Alaska Zoo if an agreement is reached to relocate Maggie to its facility.

"It's a very generous offer from them, but our main concern is finding the best place for Maggie," said Alaska Zoo director Pat Lampi. "PAWS is a well-known facility and they do a lot of good work."

The costs of flying the 8,000-pound animal are a significant obstacle, with some estimates approaching $200,000, Lampi said.

He said Friday that PAWS is "on the short list" but officials from another facility are also coming up soon to take a look at Maggie. That will be the last group, he said, and the board should be able to make a decision shortly afterward.

Alaska Zoo officials are already planning to meet with the PAWS officials, including longtime donor Bob Barker, former host of "The Price is Right."

"We have been in contact with PAWS for months now, we respect this as a viable option for Maggie and will give it full consideration when we make our decision," Dick Thwaites, zoo board president, said in a statement.

Thwaites said the decision isn't made yet, and other facilities that are "as well suited or perhaps better" are still being considered. The decision should be made in a matter of weeks, he said.

Elephants of Africa Rescue Society in Salinas, Calif., is another top facility being considered, Lampi said.

Critics blasted that location earlier this week, saying it practiced inhumane training methods and exploited its animals.

But Catherine Doyle, campaign director for the San Rafael, Calif.-based In Defense of Animals, told The Associated Press that PAWS would be one of the group's top picks for Maggie's new home.

Zoo officials have said they are considering three backup locations as well, and officials from at least one of the facilities have suggested Maggie stay in Alaska through the winter.

In May, calls for her departure intensified after Maggie fell twice and needed to be hoisted to her feet by fire crews. Lampi said she may have been suffering from a bought of colic.