It's going to be an emotional farewell for Dublin Zoo's two popular elephants when they head to a new home in Germany in a few weeks, according to the zoo's assistant director.
Elephants Judy and Kirsty, who have been at the zoo for a decade, will be moving to Neunkirchen Zoo in western Germany in mid-September.
Paul O'Donoghue, Dublin Zoo's assistant director, said the decision to move the elephants was a difficult one, but the zoo was committed to an elephant breeding programme.
"We've always had a long-term desire to breed elephants and we had an offer of three young females from Rotterdam.
"The girls we have are approaching old age and they won't breed.
"It's a difficult decision, because they've been here for 10 years, but really if we are serious about conservation, we've had to make this difficult decision," he said
The public are being invited to say farewell to the elephants before they set off. We want to give people the opportunity to say goodbye if they wish.
"I think a lot of people in Ireland know Judy and Kirsty - they are charismatic animals," Mr O'Donoghue said.
When they leave, the two Indian elephants will be accompanied on their journey by one of their keepers who will help them settle in at their new home.
Mr O'Donoghue said Judy and Kirsty will be companions to a lone elderly female elephant already at the German zoo.
After the pair leave, the elephant exhibit at Dublin Zoo is to be expanded and refurbished to recreate the natural Asian rainforest environment of the elephant.
Mr O'Donoghue said the new exhibit, which will take between 12 and 18 months to rebuild, would be state-of-the-art.
As well as the arrival of the females from the Netherlands, one or more of which may be pregnant when they come to Ireland, the zoo will also be looking to obtain a bull elephant in the next few years to get the breeding programme up and running, Mr O'Donoghue said.