October 24. 2006 October 24, 2006 -- By: Elizabeth O"Hara/KFOX News at Nine

City Council voted on Tuesday to hire a new permanent director for the El Paso Zoo. As KFOX was first to report on Monday, Steve Marshall most recently worked at "Zoo Atlanta Inc.," one of the country's largest zoos. Among his top priorities, Marshall said he will be looking into solving the controversy surrounding the placement of the community's elephants, Juno and Savannah.

Animal activists argue the pair suffer from captivity-induced health issues and would be better off at a Tennessee sanctuary. Zoo supporters counter the elephants health is fine and their care is best left to those in El Paso. But that argument got clouded in September, when as KFOX reported, a zoo employee, Allan Seidon, was accused and then fired from the zoo for allegedly striking Juno. The incident was the second time in eight years an elephant abuse allegation surfaced at the zoo.

"We are constantly assessing the standards and welfare that we provide these animals," Marshall said. "We'll always make it better and better and that's what we're going to be looking at here."

Marshall said before coming to the El Paso Zoo, he was aware of its elephant issue. He said he will look at a possible relocation of the animals as well as an expansion of the current zoo land that might accommodate them.

"There is expansion that is available. The zoo's in really good shape and it's financially supported," he said.

But a decision on the fate of Juno and Savannah is not expected soon. Marshall does not begin his term as zoo director until January 2007 at which time he will also have to start work on renewing the zoo's national accreditation with the American Zoo and Aquarium Association.