Reference: PETA
Help Retire Wankie
Update: March 2005
On March 9, the Chicago City Council referred a resolution proposed by PETA to the Committee on Parks and Recreation, recommending that Wankie, the surviving elephant, be retired to a sanctuary immediately, rather than shipped to another zoo, and that the Lincoln Park Zoo permanently close its elephant exhibit.
The resolution was referred for consideration two months after the premature death of a second elephant at the Lincoln Park Zoo.
Learn about the Lincoln Park Zoo’s disturbing 115-year history with elephants.
Proposal by PETA referred by the Chicago City Council
Proposed Chicago City Council Resolution re Lincoln Park Zoo Elephants
Whereas, the conditions at the Lincoln Park Zoo, including the outdoor enclosure of less
than one-third of an acre for elephants, have deprived elephants of adequate space and
forced them to stand on hard compacted surfaces, causing serious health problems; and
Whereas, Chicago’s cold winter climate is not appropriate for elephants because
elephants are a warm-climate species and this weather has further exacerbated the limited
spatial problems by routinely confining elephants to small, indoor facilities for extended
periods during low temperatures; and
Whereas, the Lincoln Park Zoo does not have the space nor the climate to provide an
adequate or appropriate environment for elephants, the largest land mammal in the world;
and
Whereas, an elephant named Tatima suffered a leg injury in 2003, significant weight loss,
and early death at age 35 at the Lincoln Park Zoo; and
Whereas, an elephant named Peaches also suffered an early death at age 55 at the Lincoln
Park Zoo; and
Whereas, captivity-induced foot problems and arthritis caused by lack of exercise and
standing on hard surfaces are the leading reasons for euthanasia of elephants in zoos; and
Whereas, the remaining elephant at the Lincoln Park Zoo, Wankie, age 35, does not have
adequate room to exercise and has been observed limping; and
Whereas, two sanctuaries, The Elephant Sanctuary in Tennessee and the Performing
Animal Welfare Society in California, accredited by The Association of Sanctuaries
provide elephants with a much healthier environment that more closely resembles their
natural habitat; and
Whereas, at these two sanctuaries, the remaining elephant, Wankie, will have a
permanent home and free access to hundreds of acres to roam on green grass and soft
earth and the largest elephant enclosure in any U.S. zoo is only 6 acres; and
Whereas, these two sanctuaries treat elephants with dignity and respect and never use
negative stimuli as a form of punishment, and half the zoos in the U.S. still use circusstyle
training that involves chaining and physical discipline that includes the use of
bullhooks; now therefore
Be it resolved, that the City Council of Chicago requests that the remaining elephant at
the Lincoln Park Zoo, Wankie, be transferred immediately to one of the two sanctuaries.
Be it further resolved, that the City Council of Chicago recommend that the Lincoln Park
Zoo join the Detroit Zoo and others by permanently closing its elephant exhibit.
You go PETA!!!
Second Elephant died-One left
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