Note: This episode originally aired in September, 2014. Zoos follow a fundamental principle: You can't sell or buy the animals. It's unethical and illegal to put a price tag on an elephant's head. But money is really useful — it lets you know who wants something and how much they want it. It lets you get rid of things you don't need and acquire things that you do need. It helps allocate assets where they are most valued. In this case, those assets are alive, and they need a safe home in the right climate. So zoos and aquariums are left asking: What do you do in a world where you can't use money? This episode was originally produced by Jess Jiang. Help support Planet Money and get bonus episodes by subscribing to Planet Money+ in Apple Podcasts or at plus.npr.org/planetmoney. Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoices NPR Privacy Policy
This is planet money from NPR.
Today's episode is one of our favorites.
It's originally from 2014.
Enjoy.
Not too long ago, the public zoo up in Calgary, Alberta, faced a unique problem.
They had these lovely asian elephants from Sri Lanka, had them on display for almost 40 years.
Swarna is kind of the odd one out.
She's the aunt, and then there's a biological pair, Kamala and Ronnie.
The mother and daughter.
Gabrielle Emmanuelle is a reporter who first told us about the elephants, and she says the problem was one that will be familiar to anyone who has traveled to Canada.
In the winter, the weather sucks, especially if you are from Sri Lanka.
Calgary's up in Alberta, so it is chilly most of the year.
It's snowing, it's slushy, it's gross outside.
For years, the zoo officials in Calgary had been making the best of this elephant situation.
We've made snowmen for them, and what do they do with the snowman?
Push it over and then eat him.
Colleen Baird is the elephant curator.
And as a fellow canadian, I can say that it is always tough to accept that perhaps not every creature should live in the true north, strong and free.
But Colleen says eventually they had to face reality.
They had to find a new home for the elephants.