The Dallas Zoo announced Wednesday that Jenny, the 9,000-pound elephant which was the subject of a heated controversy, will remain at home and will not be sent to a wildlife park in Mexico, as previously announced. Greg Hudson, the zoo's executive director, said that it is in Jenny's best interests that the animal stays in Dallas.

The problem is that her companion died in May, and apparently this elephant's species become highly depressed following such a loss. However, activists said that Jenny is afraid of cars, is nervous and will not be able to accommodate in the drive-through park in Mexico where the zookeepers wanted to send it.

Jenny's companion, KeKe, a 39-year-old female African elephant, died in May from a severe case of intestinal colic. Now the Dallas Zoo will work hard to design a new habitat and bring in another elephant. The Dallas Zoo was Jenny's home for some 22 years now, and animal experts have concluded that she adjusted well to Keke's death.

There was also another plan floated before the decision to keep Jenny at home, which included shipping the 9,000-pound pachyderm to the Elephant Sanctuary in Hohenwald, Tenn., which is a 2,700-acre facility conceived as a haven for troubled elephants. The Elephant Sanctuary is currently home to 17 elephants.