Posts
Zoo Society kicks off coin campaign to bring new elephant to Oklahoma City
The Oklahoma Zoological Society is kicking off a coin drive to help pay the $10,000 shipping costs to bring a bull elephant from Canada to Oklahoma City. A transportation date has not been set for Rex, who will come to Oklahoma to breed.
Nevertheless, he and his classmates at Westwood Elementary thought it was all pretty exciting.
“I really want to see the elephant,” Jorge said. “If we can get a lot of change, then we can see Rex.”
The Oklahoma Zoological Society kicked off a coin campaign called Rex's Trek to pay for the $10,000 transportation bill to bring an elephant from a Canadian zoo to Oklahoma City.
The male elephant, named Rex, will be moved from African Lion Safari in Cambridge, Ontario. He will breed with both adult female elephants in Oklahoma City in the coming years.
Bank of Oklahoma has joined the project, and a special account for the coin drive has been established. Anyone can make a donation. The drive runs through Dec. 7. For more information, call 425-0612.
The coin donation drive is a tradition in Oklahoma City, said Dana McCrory, executive director of the Oklahoma Zoological Society.
Oklahoma City residents bought the zoo's first elephant, Luna, in 1930 with a coin drive. The same was true for the zoo's second elephant, Judy. That campaign started with a check for $16.73 from Kingfisher resident Duane Andrews, according to the zoo. About 50,000 other donors chipped in and raised the money needed to buy the elephant.
The project is fun for the students, said Martha Fraire, who teaches English language learners. Students have enjoyed collecting food for the hungry and pennies to pay for tools for the school garden.
“Even though the school is in need,” she said, “they're still willing to help others.”
Vida Loreto, 8, said she's excited about the project and plans to bring some of her coins.
“I think it's really cool they're bringing more elephants,” Vida said. “I really like animals.”
No comments:
Post a Comment