Giant giraffe now has help greeting guests from new elephant statues at Dallas Zoo
Posted by: 
WalksfarTX
N 32° 44.600 W 096° 48.915
14S E 704699 N 3624944
It's no Giants of the Savanna, but the Dallas Zoo's two newest elephants aren't likely to notice the difference.
Waymark Code: WM107TB
Location: Texas, United States
Date Posted: 03/16/2019
Views: 0
Dallas News"The 1,800-pound galvanized steel sculptures designed by Connecticut artist Peter Busby were brought to the Dallas Zoo on a flatbed and carefully installed near the entrance Tuesday morning. Soon they will be surrounded by landscaping.
Their trunks are intertwined, "a symbol of a solid, loving bond between African elephants," the zoo said.
The $262,000 installation has been almost two years in the making. The winning design was selected in November 2014 as part of the city of Dallas Public Art Program.
Back in 2014, the sculpture was discussed as a way to draw attention to the decision to mingle elephants and giraffes in the 4-year-old Giants of the Savanna habitat.
The elephants won't be alone. Much as they are in their actual habitat, they'll be right near the 67-foot giraffe statue at the front gates.
A lot has changed for the Dallas Zoo's elephants since the project began two years ago.
The Golden Girls lost their matriarch, 45-year-old Mama, in May 2015. In March, four new elephants from Swaziland joined the existing all-female crew.
And then, a year and a day after Mama's death, the herd grew to 10 when one of the new additions gave birth to baby Ajabu.