DONNA, the Oakland Zoo’s 43-year-old African elephant, has moved to a new home in Tennessee following the death of her long-time elephant companion Lisa earlier this year. 

Donna came to Oakland in 1990 from the Audubon Zoo in New Orleans and quickly bonded with Lisa, growing so close that the pair slept together in the same barn for years, according to Oakland Zoo officials.

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Kiley Russell writes primarily for Local News Matters on issues related to equity and the environment. A Bay Area native, he has lived most of his life in Oakland. He studied journalism at San Francisco State University, worked for the Associated Press and the former Contra Costa Times, among other outlets. He has covered everything from state legislatures, local governments, federal and state courts, crime, growth and development, political campaigns of various stripes, wildfires and the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina.