Elephants call Somerset County home

By: WJAC Web Staff

SOMERSET, Pa. -- Anyone who has stopped in Somerset, perhaps coming off of the interchange at the Turnpike, has probably noticed a giant elephant statue.

The large statue currently takes up its own spot in the parking lot of the Eat N' Park.

Many people ask why it's there, and the answer simple, because there are elephants in Somerset County.

Dr. Barbara Baker, CEO of the Pittsburgh Zoo and PPG Aquarium, said the elephants are kept at the International Conservation Center in Fairhope Township.

"There are elephants in Somerset County, and there have been since 2007," Baker said. "This facility is a fabulous facility for the animals and the community has been fabulous."

The facility is a haven for critically endangered species of elephants, like African and Asian breeds.