REGIONAL BRIEFING
REGIONAL BRIEFING
Thursday, November 16, 2006; Page B03
Giraffe Gets New Home in Tampa
The National Zoo sent its only giraffe to Florida yesterday. The 4-year-old male Rothschild's giraffe, named Randle, was put on a trailer en route to his new home at the Lowry Park Zoo in Tampa.
Randle was moved by a team from the zoo in Tampa and is expected to arrive there early this morning after the 900-mile journey. The team planned to make numerous stops along the way to check on the animal.
  Randle, the National Zoo's lone giraffe, is moving to the Lowry Park Zoo in Tampa because its living quarters are being renovated. Helping him into a trailer are Jenny Spotten, left, Heidi Hellmuth and Nancy Boedeker. (By Ann Batdorf -- Smithsonian) |
National Zoo officials moved Randle in preparation for the renovation and expansion of the Asian elephant exhibit, where the giraffe was kept. In addition to three elephants, other animals at the exhibit will be moved to other zoos during the next year, zoo officials said.
The changes to the elephant exhibit are part of the zoo's Asia Trail II, a phase of a renovation of the 117-year-old animal park. Construction does not begin until the spring, but officials wanted to move Randle to give him a break from winter. The elephants will remain throughout the renovation.
Zoo officials said that they have begun a planning process to decide which species to exhibit in the future and that giraffes will be considered.
TRAIN TRANSPORTATION
Anacostia Bridge Under Repair
A bridge that carries freight trains over the Anacostia River was closed yesterday because of structural concerns. Most freight trains bypassed the District, but passenger rail operations were not affected.
The bridge, owned and maintained by CSX Corp., could be closed for 30 days for repairs, CSX spokesman Robert Sullivan said. MARC and Virginia Railway Express use CSX tracks, but commuter rail lines do not use the bridge in question, MARC and VRE officials said.
The problems were discovered during routine inspections by CSX officials, Sullivan said.
-- Eric M. Weiss
Anacostia Bridge Under Repair
A bridge that carries freight trains over the Anacostia River was closed yesterday because of structural concerns. Most freight trains bypassed the District, but passenger rail operations were not affected.
The bridge, owned and maintained by CSX Corp., could be closed for 30 days for repairs, CSX spokesman Robert Sullivan said. MARC and Virginia Railway Express use CSX tracks, but commuter rail lines do not use the bridge in question, MARC and VRE officials said.
The problems were discovered during routine inspections by CSX officials, Sullivan said.
-- Eric M. Weiss
