Alaska's ailing elephant may be leaving the state.

Following an impassioned public outcry, the Alaska Zoo board has decided to relocate the state's only elephant to another state under certain conditions, the board president said Wednesday.

"Every effort will be made to expedite a move if and when all the factors for a successful move are favorably addressed," board president Dick Thwaites said in a prepared statement.

Because there are so many criteria to meet, zoo officials said, it's impossible to predict how long it would take to move Maggie, a 25-year-old African elephant who arrived in Anchorage as an orphaned baby. Advocates want her moved to a warmer location, preferably to a sanctuary where she can roam with other elephants. At the zoo, she spends the cold half of the year in a 1,600-square-foot concrete enclosure.

I post this for my animal loving visitors.

It really is way past time for us to admit that our environment is just not healthy for an African elephant, and rather then purchasing another elephant to keep Maggie happy (like Maggie was brought up to keep Annabelle happy) we should just send her to a warmer and more elephant friendly facility.