RUBY EASES INTO RETIREMENT FABLED PACHYDERM GOES NORTH, GETS ROAMING ROOM.Byline: DANA BARTHOLOMEW Staff Writer SAN ANDREAS San Andreas is an Anglicisation of the Spanish language San Andrés (Saint Andrew, the Apostle). It may refer to:
After seven hours on the road and 40 years spent in circuses and zoos, the 46-year-old African elephant from the Los Angeles Zoo The Los Angeles Zoo founded in 1966, is a large zoo located in Los Angeles, California, USA. The Zoo, located in Los Angeles' Griffith Park, is home to 1,200 animals from around the world. retired Tuesday to the rolling hills Rolling hills are like a mountain chain, only a "hill chain" of hills that roll on and on continually. You will often find them in between plains and mountains, near major rivers, or randomly anywhere. The only places without rolling hills are deserts and flood plains. of Northern California Northern California, sometimes referred to as NorCal, is the northern portion of the U.S. state of California. The region contains the San Francisco Bay Area, the state capital, Sacramento; as well as the substantial natural beauty of the redwood forests, the northern . From the savannah Savannah, city, United States Savannah, city (1990 pop. 137,560), seat of Chatham co., SE Ga., a port of entry on the Savannah River near its mouth; inc. 1789. to the Cal-vannah at the Performing Animal Welfare Society The Performing Animal Welfare Society (PAWS) is an advocacy group for abandoned or abused performing animals as well victims of the exotic animal trade. They claim 30,000 members. ARK2000 elephant sanctuary Elephant sanctuary may refer to:
intr.v. shim·mered, shim·mer·ing, shim·mers 1. To shine with a subdued flickering light. See Synonyms at flash. 2. lakes not unlike her original home. "I'm very emotional," said Rosemary Arnot, 60, of Santa Clarita Santa Clarita, city (1990 pop. 110,642), Los Angeles co., S Calif., suburb 30 mi (48 km) NW of downtown Los Angeles, on the Santa Clara River; inc. 1987. Situated in the Santa Clara valley and nearby canyons, Santa Clarita includes the former towns of Canyon Country, , a PAWS donor who had followed Ruby's 375-mile route from Los Angeles to the Sierra foothills of Calavaras County. "I believe it is a glorious homecoming -- look how beautiful this is. "This is Shangri-La." It didn't take much coaxing to get Ruby, the only Los Angeles elephant to retire to a sanctuary, into her $3.5 million digs east of San Andreas, about 40 miles northeast of Stockton. She had been on the road well before dawn, joined by a caravan of keepers and zoo officials, who stopped to feed and comfort her through the dusty San Joaquin Valley Noun 1. San Joaquin Valley - a vast valley in central California known for its rich farmland Calif., California, Golden State, CA - a state in the western United States on the Pacific; the 3rd largest state; known for earthquakes . In the 24 hours before her departure, she had many visits from longtime fans. "I'm sad to see her go," said Los Angeles Councilman Tom LaBonge, who brought her a loaf of pumpkin bread from the Monastery of the Angels for her journey. "The time has come." Activists were ecstatic, as the majestic pachyderm from Los Angeles segued from a small off-site yard into a 75-acre habitat with three other African elephants, Mara, 71 and Lulu. Zoo officials, including General Manager John Lewis, were enthusiastic. The sanctuary gave Ruby an elephantine Elephantine (ĕl'əfăntī`nē), island, SE Egypt, in the Nile below the First Cataract, near Aswan. In ancient times it was a military post guarding the southern frontier of Egypt. welcome after she ambled into her 20,000-square-foot barn, replete with a private room and 40-foot Jacuzzi. "She's a beautiful, beautiful girl," said PAWS co-founder Pat Derby, looking at the newest addition to the herd. "She looks very relaxed and very comfortable ... She'll be really great here." Outside, Asian elephants basked in a soft breeze near a 5-acre lake while the other Africans waited to meet the newest addition to the herd. Inside, Ruby quietly explored her quarters, wrapping her trunk around bars of 6- to 8-inch pipe as she apparently sensed other elephants. Before long, she was bouncing her boomer ball. She snacked on acacia and performed a slow pirouette before a crowd of hushed and awed visitors. The city-owned pachyderm will remain at PAWS indefinitely. PAWs officials, as well as activists who had fought for larger quarters for Ruby and other elephants, praised the zoo and Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa for making the journey possible. Melya Kaplan, who has worked for eight years to free elephants from the Los Angeles Zoo, said she didn't have the words to describe seeing Ruby put out to pasture. "It's indescribable," said Kaplan, executive director of Voice for the Animals, crying as she watched Ruby play with her Los Angeles keepers. "She'll finally get the life she deserves." Lewis, who accompanied the elephant into the Gold Country, said Ruby's move will allow the zoo to concentrate on building a $39 million Pachyderm Forest for endangered Asian elephants, of which only 35,000 remain in the wild from India to China. The 6-acre exhibit will have a 3.7-acre elephant habitat with lakes and ponds and is expected to be finished by early 2009. He said seeing Ruby go has been a "bittersweet bittersweet, name for two unrelated plants, belonging to different families, both fall-fruiting woody vines sometimes cultivated for their decorative scarlet berries. " experience for him and his staff. The journey, made by an experienced animal hauler with more than 800 elephant carries to his credit, went without a hitch. "She's a trooper," he said before cutting a cake in her honor. "We're really happy with the way she responded when the truck backed up. It was like, 'Oh, boy, here we go again.' But she got right on." Her hosts at PAWs, he said "are there to take care of her. They'll do a good job." Derby, an author and former Hollywood wild animal trainer for such series as "Lassie Lassie canine star of popular film and TV series. [TV: Terrace, II, 13–15; Radio: Buxton, 135] See : Dogs ," "Daktari" and "Flipper," founded PAWs with marketing executive in 1987 to care for abused, abandoned or retired performing animals performing animals animals trained to perform unusual acts as an entertainment for humans. The practice could be subject to cruel procedures and the animals could be brutalized to perform painful movements. . Today, they have three wildlife refuges in Northern California. ARK2000 also provides a haven for 35 formerly abused tigers. They said that in coming days, zoo keepers will work with PAWs staff to integrate Ruby into the African elephant herd. After a period of separation, she will be allowed to roam a 10-acre habitat before being allowed to join other African elephants on the 750-acre preserve. "They'll have to make friends," Derby said. "She'll be able to climb the hills, run, tear up the brush and trees -- doing a lot of elephant stuff." As the sun waned Tuesday, Ruby took her first steps out of the barn. She poked her head through the barn door, walked five feet from the gate, and reached her long trunk next to the fence and pulled from the dirt a clump of wild grass. Then she stuffed it into her mouth -- dirt, roots and all. dana.bartholomew(at)dailynews.com (818) 713-3730 CAPTION(S): 2 photos, map Photo: (1 -- color) Ruby plays with one of her toys at the PAWS sanctuary in San Andreas, Calif., on Tuesday. (2) Ruby, a 46-year-old African elephant, leaves the truck that brought her from the L.A. Zoo shortly after she arrived at the PAWS sanctuary in San Andreas on Tuesday. The retiring Ruby will live out her days in luxury at the 75-acre African elephant reserve. John McCoy/Staff Photographer Map: Ruby's new home PAWS ARK2000 sanctuary |
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