Two city councillors will travel to a California wildlife sanctuary on their own dime in an effort to ensure that the city isn't making a mistake by sending three Toronto Zoo elephants there.
Councillors Giorgio Mammoliti and Michelle Berardinetti will accompany Toronto Zoo CEO John Tracogna and several veterinarians on the trip to the Performing Animal Welfare Society (PAWS) in Galt, California later this month.
The pair plan to report back to council on their findings at a later date.
"It is important for us to go down, take a look at the facility and try to get some of the questions we have answered in their own boardroom," Mammoliti told reporters Thursday. "I think this is a wonderful step forward that all have agreed to take."
City council voted in October to send the three elephants to the facility by this spring, but earlier this week Tracogna said the zoo had reached an impasse with PAWS over the planned move.
Former game show host Bob Barker had offered to cover the cost of transporting the elephants, but has expressed frustration with how slow the move has actually gone.
On Thursday Mammoliti wouldn't reveal the nature of the city's concerns, citing "legal matters"
"Let us do the work that we think we can do and we will be in a position to report back on the findings in a little bit," he told reporters.
Tracogna has previously said that he wouldn't feel comfortable handing over the elephants without seeing medical records from the sanctuary, a point he reiterated on Thursday.
"The health and the welfare of the elephants are the top priorities," he said.
