Zoo to open elephant sperm bank

Officials hope initiative will boost dwindling numbers in US

PITTSBURGH, Pennsylvania - Zoo officials trying to establish North America's first elephant sperm bank have been slowed by bureaucratic hurdles but hope South African officials will approve shipping frozen elephant semen to the United States in about a month.

Officials at the Pittsburgh Zoo & PPG Aquarium have had difficulty getting export and import permits for 16 liters of semen being stored in the National Zoo's BioBank in Pretoria, South Africa, the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review reported on Monday.