elephants have never lost the capacity to astonish and delight . but in south york now in the not - so - close timeline , they will not be doing their astonishing and delighting at a sanctuary . the bronx zoo , the only one right in the city that keeps elephants , said yesterday that it planned to burn down its exhibit after the death of two of its three members , or even six . the current surge of parents did not despair : the zoo ' s three elephants — patty , maxine and happy — are in their high - 30 ' s and could continue for decades more . but if one animal died , the remaining five could not be along . and if two die , administrators saying it shall be inhumane to sustain an exhibited with a solitary elephant .
The Bronx Zoo is the biggest zoo in New York.