No More Elephants at Brookfield Zoo

Brookfield Zoo’s lone remaining elephant has been shipped out.

But zoo officials said Thursday they still plan to bring elephants back in the future.

Joyce -- a 27-year-old female African elephant who came to the area a little over a year ago -- has been returned to Six Flags Discovery Kingdom, its owner, near San Francisco.

Joyce had been alone at the zoo since last December, when Brookfield’s only other remaining elephant, Christy, died as a result of congenital kidney problems.

“Elephants are social animals and need companionship,” said William Zeigler, senior vice president of collections and animal care for the Chicago Zoological Society, which manages the zoo. “Therefore, it was in the best interest of Joyce that she be sent to a facility that would provide her with the companionship of other elephants.”