Tuesday, the elephants Juno and Savannah slept in a barn at the zoo, where it seems they'll stay permanently. El Paso City Council voted 6-2 to keep them in the El Paso Zoo.

It's a controversy that began when animal activists presented medical records that showed the elephants were suffering nearly two years ago.

On Tuesday, the new zoo director, Steve Marshall, told city council the zoo is fit to have two Asian elephants in its collection and it should continue to be involved with elephants in the future. He even said he's working on getting a third elephant.

"There's that perception that animals need tons of space. In the wild, it's basic biology, animals move to avoid predators, to seek food and water," said Marshall.

Marshall said Juno and Savannah have food and water in their 3/4-acre barn. While council voted 6-2 to keep the elephants, an animal activist that has been at the heart of this issue, Marilie Sage, said the city representatives are being misinformed.

"City council is giving the public the idea that they're leaving it up to the experts but that is like leaving it up to the battering parents of a battered child," said Sage.

Sage states that Juno and Savannah suffer from foot and joint problems, something activists attribute to their small enclosures. KFOX has video that was taken in May 2005 of Juno rocking back and forth. Again, activists said this is directly attributed to living on a small plot of hard, packed dirt and cement.

Marshall responded to that by comparing it to the way people behave when, for example, a meeting is running too long.

"We've actually seen a marked improvement in those kinds of behaviors in the elephants at zoo, because the staff has taken such a great interest in the enrichment of these animals," said Marshall.

In the near future, council may be looking at a master plan for the El Paso Zoo. The U.S. Department of Agriculture is currently reviewing space requirements for elephants. That may mean the El Paso Zoo may have no choice but to expand much larger than what they are examining. City Manager Joyce Wilson has previously warned council that expanding the elephant exhibit will come at a large cost, especially when the city's first priority is flood clean-up.