Members of the Auckland City Council are not giving up on having elephants at Auckland Zoo.

The Zoo Board will meet at 12.30pm today to discuss the possibility of developing a herd. The zoo currently has two elephants, Kashin and Burma, but Kashin is 40 and Burma is 26. Elephants must have a companion so if Kashin died, Burma would have to go overseas. The pair are the only elephants left in New Zealand zoos.

The $5 million needed to develop an elephant herd has not been set aside in the Auckland City Council's 10-year-plan.

Councillor Graeme Mulholland says he and most other Zoo Board members are passionate about keeping elephants in New Zealand. He says once they have a report from the zoo director and set up a business case, they can ask for funding.