SAN DIEGO — There comes a day when even the most popular of shows has to close. "Oklahoma!," "Cats," even "The Lion King" -- each dazzled Broadway for years and then departed.
And so the elephant show at the Wild Animal Park, an attraction at Tembo Stadium since 1977, the most popular show in park history, will close Sunday.
For The Record
Los Angeles Times Wednesday, April 09, 2008 Home Edition Main News Part A Page 2 National Desk 1 inches; 60 words Type of Material: Correction
Elephant show: An article in Sunday's California section about the closing of the elephant show at San Diego's Wild Animal Park suggested that it was akin to popular musicals such as "Oklahoma!", "Cats" and "The Lion King," which "dazzled Broadway for years and then departed. "The Lion King" has played on Broadway since 1997, though it switched theaters in 2006.
The puppet and bird shows will remain, but the five Asian elephants who star in the elephant show are off to a new gig.
Ranchipur, Sunita, Cookie, Mary and Cha-Cha are set to be transported down the freeway to the San Diego Zoo to join three elephants there in a new exhibit.
The combined herd will share 2.5 acres -- part of a $44-million project called Elephant Odyssey that will cover seven acres and include tree sloths, jaguars, lions, birds, tapirs, camels, turtles, pronghorn sheep and life-size replicas of prehistoric beasts.
The relocation is set for late winter or early spring. So why is the elephant show being closed so far in advance?
Because elephants are not quick to adapt to change.
The long lead time will allow the five to get used to the crate that will transport them -- one by one -- for the 25-mile trip to the zoo.
It bears remembering that when his trainers decided to add Ranchipur, a 12,000-pound male, to the elephant show, it took two years to convince him to make his debut.
"Elephants do what they want to do," said Brittany Archer, Ranchipur's lead trainer and one of the narrators of the show.
To make the trip to the zoo bearable for Ranchipur, Archer will accompany him down Interstate 15 and California 163. She's also transferring her job to the zoo, the park's parent organization, to continue working with Ranchipur and the others.
On Friday, patrons were unaware that they were witnessing one of the last performances of Ranchipur and Cha-Cha. All five elephants perform, but usually not more than two at a time.
As they have for years, well-tested jokes brought a respectable amount of laughter from several hundred patrons in attendance. For many families, the elephant show was a must-see, propelled by urging from their children.
"She kept saying 'I have to see the elephants, I have to see the elephants,' " Melody Finwald, a tourist from Northern California, said as she pointed to her 4-year-old daughter.
Archer explained to the crowd that although the average female Asian elephant weighs between 7,000 and 8,000 pounds, Cha-Cha is a slim 5,000 even though she out-eats Ranchipur.
