African elephant · No. 21 of 22
Three Years Of Negotiation For One Elephant
Pittsburgh went looking for a specific personality, not just an available animal.
The Deal
The Grades
Pittsburgh
Landed genetics not represented in the North American population and matched a difficult incumbent on size, age and temperament. Three years well spent.
The Breakdown
Pittsburgh spent three years negotiating to acquire Carole and Jeannot from Canada. Jeannot's value is straightforward: he carries genetics not represented anywhere in the North American population, which is the rarest commodity in this sport.
Carole's acquisition is the more interesting piece of front-office work. Pittsburgh's resident Natasha, 47, is described by her own keepers as a big elephant that tends to dominate. So they did not go looking for the best available female. They went looking for one comparable in size, age and personality, because the wrong fit would have failed no matter how good the animal was.
That is a general manager scouting locker room fit, and it is the same thing the Pittsburgh Zoo's CEO described when he said you cannot just put two animals together and win a Super Bowl.
