Magnum
03-04-2005, 02:01 PM
Peaches, believed to be the oldest African elephant in captivity, died Monday, January 17, 2005 at the Lincoln Park Zoo in Chicago. She was one of three aging elephants sent to Chicago by the San Diego Wild Animal Park in 2003 when the Zoological Society imported wild-caught juvenile elephants from Africa for breeding purposes. Peaches died years short of an elephant's natural lifespan of up to 70 years. Tatima, also from San Diego, died at the Lincoln Park Zoo last October at age 34. Wankie, the third elephant sent to Chicago by the San Diego Zoological Society, is now alone at the Lincoln Park Zoo.
The San Diego Zoo’s shocking betrayal of the elephants who had lived in San Diego for over three decades was decried by animal protection advocates, who predicted—correctly—that the elephants would not live long in Chicago, where, after being trucked 2000 miles, they would be forced to spend long winter months confined indoors in concrete stalls.
Lisa Landres, former elephant keeper for the San Diego Zoo, animal cruelty investigator for the Humane Society of the United States, and captive wildlife specialist for Friends of Animals, has harsh words for the Zoological Society. "It was negligent and idiotic to move a geriatric elephant to a hostile climate," Landres says. "Now it is imperative that the remaining elephant be placed in a sanctuary in a warmer climate before the record becomes three dead of three dumped." Landres adds, “No elephant should live alone," noting the strong social bonds formed by the animals.
In the wild, elephants can walk 30 to 50 miles a day over varied terrains, activity that is essential for their health. In zoos, elephants spend their time inactive in cramped enclosures, standing on concrete or hard compacted dirt, which leads to extremely painful degenerative joint disorders and recurrent foot infections, as well as digestive and reproductive problems. As the largest land mammal, elephants are genetically designed for almost constant movement; yet, the American Zoo and Aquarium Association's (AZA) standards allow an elephant to be held in an enclosure of 1,800 square feet—the equivalent of six parking spaces. The San Francisco Zoo and the Detroit Zoo recently decided to close their elephant exhibits, acknowledging that zoos are unable to provide for their needs. We are urging the San Diego Zoological Society to follow suit.
Our fear is that Wankie, the last remaining survivor of the three elephants brought from San Diego to Chicago, will suffer the same fate as Peaches and Tatima if something is not done for her now. Her lifelong companions are already gone, and it is too late to save them—but you can still help.
On January 19, 2005, the Lincoln Park Zoo announced that Wankie would be moved within four months to another, yet-to-be determined zoo. Please write or call the directors of the Lincoln Park Zoo and the San Diego Zoological Society, urging them to make the humane decision not to subject her to more confinement and misery, and instead to give her over to the care of an accredited elephant sanctuary.
Contact:
Kevin Bell, Director
Lincoln Park Zoo
2001 N. Clark St.
Chicago, IL 60614-4757
Fax: (312) 742-2336
E-mail: kbell@lpzoo.org
Douglas Myers,
Executive Director
San Diego Zoological Society
P.O. Box 120551
San Diego, CA 92112
Fax: (619) 231-0249
E-Mail: DMyers@sandiegozoo.org
For more information on the plight of zoo elephants and how you can help, please visit http://www.savezooelephants.com/.
Reference: http://www.animaladvocates.org/
The San Diego Zoo’s shocking betrayal of the elephants who had lived in San Diego for over three decades was decried by animal protection advocates, who predicted—correctly—that the elephants would not live long in Chicago, where, after being trucked 2000 miles, they would be forced to spend long winter months confined indoors in concrete stalls.
Lisa Landres, former elephant keeper for the San Diego Zoo, animal cruelty investigator for the Humane Society of the United States, and captive wildlife specialist for Friends of Animals, has harsh words for the Zoological Society. "It was negligent and idiotic to move a geriatric elephant to a hostile climate," Landres says. "Now it is imperative that the remaining elephant be placed in a sanctuary in a warmer climate before the record becomes three dead of three dumped." Landres adds, “No elephant should live alone," noting the strong social bonds formed by the animals.
In the wild, elephants can walk 30 to 50 miles a day over varied terrains, activity that is essential for their health. In zoos, elephants spend their time inactive in cramped enclosures, standing on concrete or hard compacted dirt, which leads to extremely painful degenerative joint disorders and recurrent foot infections, as well as digestive and reproductive problems. As the largest land mammal, elephants are genetically designed for almost constant movement; yet, the American Zoo and Aquarium Association's (AZA) standards allow an elephant to be held in an enclosure of 1,800 square feet—the equivalent of six parking spaces. The San Francisco Zoo and the Detroit Zoo recently decided to close their elephant exhibits, acknowledging that zoos are unable to provide for their needs. We are urging the San Diego Zoological Society to follow suit.
Our fear is that Wankie, the last remaining survivor of the three elephants brought from San Diego to Chicago, will suffer the same fate as Peaches and Tatima if something is not done for her now. Her lifelong companions are already gone, and it is too late to save them—but you can still help.
On January 19, 2005, the Lincoln Park Zoo announced that Wankie would be moved within four months to another, yet-to-be determined zoo. Please write or call the directors of the Lincoln Park Zoo and the San Diego Zoological Society, urging them to make the humane decision not to subject her to more confinement and misery, and instead to give her over to the care of an accredited elephant sanctuary.
Contact:
Kevin Bell, Director
Lincoln Park Zoo
2001 N. Clark St.
Chicago, IL 60614-4757
Fax: (312) 742-2336
E-mail: kbell@lpzoo.org
Douglas Myers,
Executive Director
San Diego Zoological Society
P.O. Box 120551
San Diego, CA 92112
Fax: (619) 231-0249
E-Mail: DMyers@sandiegozoo.org
For more information on the plight of zoo elephants and how you can help, please visit http://www.savezooelephants.com/.
Reference: http://www.animaladvocates.org/