Auckland Zoo says it's in discussions with New Zealand bio-security officials and the Niue Government about using that island's quarantine station if it acquires the two elephants it's seeking.
The Zoo has approval to bring in two more elephants but it's yet to locate them.
The Zoo says it's been developing a management plan that includes requirements for a third country quarantine.
It says Niue, which has successfully been used as a quarantine for alpacas imported into New Zealand, is one of the places being considered.
