African elephant from struggling Puerto Rico zoo may be first at Georgia sanctuary

A 34-year-old female African elephant being housed at a Puerto Rican zoo in crisis may soon be on its way to a sanctuary in Attapulgus, Georgia.

The Dr. Juan A. Rivero zoo in Mayagüez has made international headlines in the past few months for its inability to care for animals amid the territory's economic turmoil.

Carol Buckley, founder of Elephant Aid International, which is headquartered out of the Attapulgus sanctuary, issued a news release Wednesday saying she is "coordinating with the Puerto Rico government" to retire the elephant, named Mundi.

"We will be thrilled to welcome Mundi as Elephant Refuge North America's first resident," Buckley said. "We thank the zoo and government officials for acting in Mundi's best interests."

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In August, the Associated Press reported Puerto Rico's Gov. Ricardo Rossello was evaluating whether to close the zoo immediately following the death of one of the zoo's pumas.

The same report said the zoo had been flagged for dozens of violations by the U.S. Department of Agriculture, and said an elephant and 10 felines were being moved because of concerns. Other outlets like the The Independent reported the zoo came under fire for the deaths of a tiger and five lion cubs.

Buckley plans to visit the zoo next week "to assess Mundi's health and living conditions." She estimates the cost of moving Mundi at $300,000.

According to the release, Muni's retirement from the zoo has been ordered by government officials to comply with Puerto Rico's animal welfare law.

"Mundi was one of 63 baby elephants slated for government slaughter who were airlifted to the U.S. from Zimbabwe in 1984 in what was known as the Jumbolair Project," the EAI release reads. "After three years performing with a small Puerto Rico circus, Mundi was transferred to the zoo, where she has lived since 1988."

The release noted Mundi's health and enclosure were not threatened by Hurricane Maria, which devastated the island last month.

"A representative of the office of the secretary of Puerto Rico's Department of Sports and Recreation, which oversees the zoo, reported that Mundi is well and that Maria, fortunately, left her water, food supplies and facilities untouched."

Buckley has launched a fundraising campaign on the EAI website to fund Mundi's move, and is accepting donations. The campaign already has raised $25,000.