tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-51834328375035177562024-03-04T22:12:05.615-08:00Retire Tembo and SundaJudy McCoy Carmanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04810442845967208651noreply@blogger.comBlogger17125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5183432837503517756.post-330355988362881952014-01-05T20:30:00.001-08:002014-01-05T20:30:35.204-08:00Woodland Park Zoo elephants<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
This report details findings from a study commissioned by Friends of
Woodland Park Zoo Elephants into public perceptions about the elephants
housed at the Woodland Park Zoo. The study was conducted as part of
Friends of Woodland Park Zoo Elephants’ push for the retirement of the
zoo’s elephants. The report outlines a variety of attitudes from
Seattleites including their support for retiring the elephants, their
perceptions of the credibility of the zoo’s task force on the topic, and
the likelihood they would visit the zoo if there were no longer an
elephant exhibit.
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Abstract:</div>
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For more than seven years, Friends of Woodland Park Zoo Elephants, a
NARN campaign, has worked for the retirement of Bamboo, Chai, and Watoto
so they may spend the rest of their lives in a sanctuary in a warmer
climate with more space.
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Several news stories have been published informing the public about
the health and living conditions of elephants in zoo captivity,
highlighting the Woodland Park Zoo. Following these stories, and years
of criticism of the elephant program, the Woodland Park Zoo convened a
Task Force to evaluate the condition of its elephants and the zoo’s
elephant program.</div>
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Friends of Woodland Park Zoo Elephants wanted to learn how Seattleites viewed or learned about the following issues:
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<ul id="yui_3_13_0_ym1_1_1388894118035_121808">
<li id="yui_3_13_0_ym1_1_1388894118035_121807">Retiring the elephants</li>
<li id="yui_3_13_0_ym1_1_1388894118035_121810">The value of keeping elephants in Seattle</li>
<li id="yui_3_13_0_ym1_1_1388894118035_121812">How Seattleites learned about elephant poaching</li>
<li id="yui_3_13_0_ym1_1_1388894118035_121813">The credibility of the Task Force</li>
<li id="yui_3_13_0_ym1_1_1388894118035_121814">Replacing the live elephant exhibit with an educational program without elephants</li>
<li id="yui_3_13_0_ym1_1_1388894118035_121815">The Woodland Park Zoo’s elephant breeding program</li>
</ul>
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Friends of Woodland Park Zoo Elephants wanted to understand all
aspects of these issues by querying the public in an unbiased,
representative way so that the results could be shared with the Zoo,
Seattle City Council, SeattleMayor, King County Council, and
constituents in order to help them make informed decisions.</div>
<i id="yui_3_13_0_ym1_1_1388894118035_121817">The link below will begin an automatic download of a PDF of this study.</i></div>
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<br /><a href="http://www.freewpzelephants.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/10/Survey-FINAL-Report.pdf" id="yui_3_13_0_ym1_1_1388894118035_121818" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">http://www.freewpzelephants.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/10/Survey-FINAL-Report.pdf</a></div>
Judy McCoy Carmanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04810442845967208651noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5183432837503517756.post-27181890702469816832013-10-24T19:00:00.003-07:002013-10-24T19:00:44.959-07:00Bullhook ban in LA, Toronto elephants safe, but sad news in Little Rock<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
From In Defense of Animals website:<br />
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<span style="color: #339966; font-size: 140%;">Former Toronto Zoo Elephants Moved to PAWS</span></h2>
<img align="right" alt="In Defense of Animals" border="0" height="94" hspace="5" src="http://ida.convio.net/images/content/pagebuilder/toronto_zoo_PAWS.jpg" vspace="5" width="125" /><br />
IDA is thrilled to announce that the former Toronto Zoo elephants, Toka, Thika and Iringa, are now safe and sound at the Performing Animal Welfare Society (PAWS) sanctuary in San Andreas, California.<br />
Following the death of four elephants in fewer than four years, IDA placed the Toronto Zoo on its annual list of our Ten Worst Zoos for Elephants for 2009, revitalizing activist efforts to end the housing of elephants at this zoo. Ongoing zoo resistance in the face of a decision by the Toronto City Council to close the exhibit and send the elephants to PAWS became a pitched battle, but after countless delays and obstacles Toka, Thika and Iringa arrived at PAWS on October 20, 2013, and are quickly acclimating to their new surroundings.<br />
IDA commends and congratulates Zoocheck Canada, PAWS, and many Toronto activists for their superhuman efforts on behalf of Toka, Thika and Iringa, and we wish the elephants a long and happy life in sanctuary.<br />
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<span style="color: #339966; font-size: 140%;">Niabi Zoo Elephants Banished to Little Rock </span></h2>
<img align="right" alt="In Defense of Animals" border="0" height="186" hspace="5" src="http://ida.convio.net/images/content/pagebuilder/Sophie_trunk_up__Babe_head_down.jpg" vspace="5" width="125" />While all eyes were on the elephant transfer from the Toronto Zoo to PAWS, the Niabi Zoo quietly moved elephants Sophie and Babe to the Little Rock Zoo on Sunday night, with no announcement until it was a done deal. This is infuriating, as both zoos were in a position to make positive changes for the elephants. As you've read in our alerts and updates, the Niabi Zoo agreed this past summer to send the Asian elephants to another facility, while the Little Rock Zoo was recently left with one Asian elephant, Zina, after three elephants died at the zoo in about two years.<br />
With your support, IDA fought hard for Sophie, Babe, and Zina, and has worked to persuade zoo and political officials, and the Association of Zoos and Aquariums, to retire all three elephants to a sanctuary, where the elephants would have flourished on hundreds of acres of natural habitat and greatly benefited from excellent veterinary care. Instead, the zoo industry sacrificed the welfare of these three individual elephants and sentenced them to a life of continued deprivation in yet another cramped, substandard zoo exhibit where conditions will only exacerbate existing, chronic health problems.<br />
Sophie, Babe, and Zina all previously performed with Ringling circus. Reportedly, Ringling provided the truck and the handlers to facilitate the furtive move.<br />
For more information, <a href="http://ida.convio.net/site/R?i=XJSbuMsk-DpnQDSkPSlO1w" target="_blank"><span style="color: #4c4c4c;">read IDA's press release here</span></a>.<br />
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<span style="color: #339966; font-size: 140%;">Breaking News: Bullhooks Banned in Los Angeles! </span></h2>
The L.A. City Council unanimously voted in favor of a bullhook ban yesterday, which should effectively ban the use of elephants in circuses and performances in the city when it becomes effective in three years. It would make L.A. the largest city in the U.S. to enact such a ban. Stay tuned to IDA for more detailed information as this unfolds.<br />
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Judy McCoy Carmanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04810442845967208651noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5183432837503517756.post-56783806987528177882013-09-29T11:24:00.001-07:002013-09-29T11:24:10.703-07:00<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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This article appeared in the Maine Sunday Telegram 9-29-13. Gives us all hope for the elephants in Africa. </h2>
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<a href="http://www.pressherald.com/news/nationworld/clinton-presses-to-end-elephant-poaching_2013-09-29.html">Clinton presses to end elephant poaching</a></h2>
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'Unless the killing stops, African forest elephants are expected to be extinct within 10 years,' she says.</h3>
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The Washington Post</div>
NEW YORK — Hillary Rodham Clinton has announced a new global effort to protect Africa's wild elephants from poaching, part of a long-running personal crusade for the former secretary of state.<br />
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<img alt="An elephant sprays earth in the Tsavo East National Park" border="0" class="PopBoxImageSmall" height="199" id="id18033248083899445" pbcaption="An elephant sprays earth in the Tsavo East National Park, 173 miles east of Kenya’s capital Nairobi, in this 2011 photo. Former Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton says growing evidence links terrorist groups to ivory trafficking." pbshowpopimage="true" pbsrc="http://media.pressherald.com/images/portland-press-herald_3788976.jpg" src="http://media.pressherald.com/images/300*199/portland-press-herald_3788976.jpg" title="An elephant sprays earth in the Tsavo East National Park" width="300" /><div style="color: #aaaaaa; float: right; font-size: 9px; margin: 0px 0px 5px 20px;">
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An elephant sprays earth in the Tsavo East National Park, 173 miles east of Kenya’s capital Nairobi, in this 2011 photo. Former Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton says growing evidence links terrorist groups to ivory trafficking. <div class="small credit">
Reuters </div>
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<a href="http://mainetoday.mycapture.com/mycapture/index.asp" style="color: #aaaaaa;">Select images available for purchase in the<br />Maine Today Photo Store</a></div>
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Clinton joined the presidents of several African nations and wildlife preservation advocates on Thursday to unveil an $80 million, three-year program aimed at ending ivory trafficking, including new park guards at major elephant ranges and sniffer-dog teams at global transit points.<br />
The announcement was a centerpiece of the final day of the Clinton Global Initiative, the Clinton family's annual charitable gathering in New York. In remarks at a Thursday luncheon, Clinton said the slaughter of elephants for their ivory tusks had reached crisis proportions.<br />
"Unless the killing stops, African forest elephants are expected to be extinct within 10 years," Clinton said. "I can't even grasp what a great disaster this is ecologically, but also for anyone who shares this planet to lose a magnificent creature like the African forest elephant seems like such a rebuke to our own values."<br />
Clinton drew a direct link between terrorism and elephant poaching, citing growing evidence that terrorist groups in Africa are funding their activities in part by trafficking ivory. She said that includes al-Shabab, the group responsible for the recent attack at a shopping mall in Nairobi.<br />
"This is not just about elephants," Clinton said. "It is about human beings, governments, trying to control their own territory, trying to keep their people safe, as well as protect their cultural and environmental heritage."<br />
The new program will enable an expanded law enforcement presence at 50 major elephant sites that together harbor 285,000 elephants, or roughly two-thirds of the African population. It also will include the hiring of an additional 3,100 park guards, adding sniffer-dog teams at 10 key international transit points and beefing up intelligence networks.<br />
President Ali Bongo of Gabon was among the leaders who joined Clinton and her daughter, Chelsea, on stage for Thursday's announcement. Elephant poaching, he said, "threatens the very stability of our countries and blocks our economic development. It is time for the global community to act decisively against this plague."<br />
Gabon and other African nations pledged to increase penalties for killing elephants. Meanwhile, 10 countries -- including China, Japan, Vietnam and other Asian nations that are among the biggest consumer markets for ivory -- committed to helping reduce the demand among their citizens for the product, including through public education campaigns.<br />
"Many people in Asia don't understand that it's not like losing a tooth," Clinton said. "You have to kill the elephant to get the tusk."<br />
Ivory trafficking has become one of the world's most lucrative criminal industries, with an estimated value of $7 billion to $10 billion annually, according to several nonprofit advocacy groups.<br />
Since 1980, the estimated population of African elephants has fallen from 1.2 million to less than 420,000. In 2012 alone, 35,000 elephants were slaughtered, according to the groups' data.<br />
For Hillary and Chelsea Clinton, elephant conservation is not a new focus. They learned of the challenges during a trip to Africa in 1997.<br />
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Judy McCoy Carmanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04810442845967208651noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5183432837503517756.post-69031249311288876382013-02-14T18:27:00.000-08:002013-02-14T18:27:07.943-08:00February, 2013, visit to see Tembo and Sunda<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Tembo and Sunda Update 2-14-13<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">I visited Tembo and Sunda at the Topeka Zoo on February 10, 2013.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It was about 50 degrees with a chilly wind, but they were outside in their yard.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I was going partly to see if any of the “enrichments” had taken place <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>that the zoo staff had promised.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>There were about 15 logs, one tree trunk, 3 giant tires , a smashed barrel which is usually there, and two piles of sand.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>There was no water in their tiny “pond.”<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I did not see the hay hammocks they had talked about hanging up high, but those could have been inside the barn which is almost always closed to the public.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The piles of sand would be more comfortable places to lie down than on the hard packed earth. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">I watched Tembo and Sunda’s behavior.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>They had evidently finished their food and were moving slowly about the yard ignoring all the objects and the sand.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Sunda exhibited stereotypic rocking for most of the time that I was there.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I was only there for 20 or 30 minutes, so I can’t say that they are not enjoying some of these new objects, but what I saw this time was exactly what we see every time we visit them.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">Sunda was rocking in such a position that it was hard to see her feet and determine if there were any new lesions.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>From my vantage point I couldn’t see any.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">I must say that I shed a few tears thinking about our 5 years trying to get them to The Elephant Sanctuary and the dream that we had for those two beautiful girls.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>But now, we need to all be sending them super-positive energy and love to help them cope with these last years of their lives in confinement.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I don’t believe it helps them for us to dwell on how dire their situation is.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>However, I do believe we can continue to write to Brendan Wiley and ask him for reports on their health, progress on the “enrichment” program, etc.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He needs to know Tembo and Sunda have not been forgotten , and that the world is still watching.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Also, if you do check on them, please email me your report, and I’ll post it on the website, elephantfreedom.com. <span style="color: black; font-size: 12pt; mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri;">Of course, if a miracle happens and something shifts making it possible for them to go to TES, we will do all we can to help. </span><span style="color: black; font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 12pt; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman';"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">Meanwhile, we need to feel good about the education we have brought to the public through this campaign.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>There is more awareness out there about the plight of zoo animals and the understanding that animals are not ours to use and exploit for our gain.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">Thanks to all of you for your love, compassion, and hard work for these dear ladies.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>And Happy Valentines Day to all of you.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;"><strong>May all elephants be free.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>May all beings be free.</strong> <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">Judy Carman <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span><o:p></o:p></div>
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Judy McCoy Carmanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04810442845967208651noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5183432837503517756.post-498186125030279552013-01-25T10:30:00.001-08:002013-02-14T19:06:04.582-08:00Elephants Are Dying Out in U.S. Zoos - Seattle Times article<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Very interesting article:</span><br />
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<a href="http://seattletimes.com/html/nationworld/2019809167_elephants02m.html"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">http://seattletimes.com/html/nationworld/2019809167_elephants02m.html</span></a><br />
Whttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04731155985014810942noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5183432837503517756.post-71184803312200338632013-01-25T10:16:00.003-08:002013-01-25T10:16:38.336-08:00Topeka Zoo's $45,000 fine, one of largest ever by USDA<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Even though this was not reported in any of the media outlets, this $45,000 fine is one of the largest ever by the USDA against an AZA-accredited zoo. The only other one we could find was a $35,000 fine against the Kansas City Zoo. Just another shameful mark, among many, for the Topeka Zoo. Click on link below to read the article that appeared on the Topeka Capital Journal's website:</span><br />
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<a href="http://cjonline.com/news/2013-01-22/city-will-pay-civil-penalty-settle-complaint-against-zoo"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">http://cjonline.com/news/2013-01-22/city-will-pay-civil-penalty-settle-complaint-against-zoo</span></a><br />
Whttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04731155985014810942noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5183432837503517756.post-48026066381798246072013-01-21T14:30:00.003-08:002013-02-14T19:17:16.092-08:00<h1 class="tdH1Article">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">Elephant tug of war: The story of the Toronto Zoo Transfer</span></h1>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">Published on Saturday January 19, 2013 </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">From a viewing platform in the Toronto Zoo’s African Savanna, a mother and child are watching Iringa, Thika and Toka trudge around in the cold. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">“Mommy,” the little one says, “why do the elephants have chains on their feet?” </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">“Because they’re going to be leaving soon.” </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The chain bracelets, clasped around their thick, wrinkly ankles, are part of training for the big move south. The elephants have been wearing them daily since last January. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">“When are they leaving?” the child wants to know. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Good luck trying to answer that one. A better question: Why has this gone on for so long?</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">A turbulent 15 months have passed since city council first voted to send the Toronto Zoo’s aging elephants to the Performing Animal Welfare Society (</span><a href="http://www.pawsweb.org/" target="_blank"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">PAWS</span></a><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">), which runs a California animal sanctuary that takes in retired zoo and circus elephants. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">And still, the ladies remain in limbo, shuffling around the same small paddock they called home long before the debate about their future erupted in outrage, name-calling and wild accusations; before the elephants needed lawyers and their own PR team; before we all ran out of puns about trunk packing; before Bob Barker came on down. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The bizarre saga is not just about the Toronto trio.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Iringa, Thika and Toka are part of a larger battle that has been waged in cities across North America over the past decade, as elephants have taken centre stage in what many are calling a zoo identity crisis. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">In the face of escalating criticism about animal welfare, the zoo industry has waged a campaign to lead the public to believe elephants thrive in zoos, when mounting evidence points to the contrary. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Many elephant experts believe sanctuaries — with their wide open spaces and natural habitats that closely mimic the wild — provide a far better standard of care for pachyderms. The zoo industry does not accept this. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">“North American zoos are in a state of denial about keeping elephants,” says Dr. Benjamin Beck, a former director at the National Zoo in Washington, D.C., and an expert in the management and psychological welfare of zoo animals. “They are so convinced that they can keep elephants effectively that they’re simply, I think, denying the facts.”</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">With city council’s decision to send the elephants to PAWS now reaffirmed, the Toronto Zoo is working toward a spring departure deadline. But behind the scenes, there is evidence some elephant handlers and zoo supporters are still debating ways to thwart the </span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">process, and whispers that others have no intention of co-operating with a plan they fundamentally disagree with. Will Toronto’s elephant saga ever end?</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The answer lies in a more complicated question: How did it come to this?</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><strong>On a cold</strong> November morning in 2009, Toronto zookeepers found Tara, the 41-year-old matriarch of the all-female pachyderm group, lying on her side in the elephant house, unable to get up. It can be dangerous for elephants to lie this way for long periods because it puts pressure on their internal organs. Despite attempts by staff to right Tara, she died. An autopsy was inconclusive, but her death — the zoo’s fourth elephant fatality in four years — set off a firestorm of criticism from animal rights groups.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The zoo was left with only three aging elephants — the minimum number recommended for the highly social creatures under zoo industry standards — and a game-changing dilemma. Management would have to decide whether to invest tens of millions of dollars into expanding the elephant exhibit, or find a new home for Iringa, Thika and Toka. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The Toronto Zoo has been home to 12 elephants since it opened nearly 40 years ago. Seven have died over the years; two were relocated. The three remaining pachyderms live together on a patch of land less than a hectare — a space many experts believe is far too small. Iringa and Toka, captured in Mozambique in the midst of a gruesome elephant cull, were among the first to arrive at the zoo in 1974. Iringa, now 44, is known to be dominant and exceptionally smart. Toka, 43, is passive and pretty. Thika, 33, has the distinction of being the first African elephant born in a North American zoo, and is known to be spoiled; a bit of a lovable brat. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Since the early days of the animals-on-display business, when the prospect of a zoo without an elephant was unimaginable, a majority of the world’s leading pachyderm experts and a growing number of industry professionals have come to believe most zoos do not meet the biological needs of elephants, particularly in colder climates where they are forced to remain in small, indoor spaces for weeks at a time. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">As information from long-term studies has come in over the past decade, scientists have learned pachyderms are highly-intelligent, emotional creatures that need a great deal of stimulation to prevent boredom. They are meant to forage and roam in large herds, forming social bonds with other elephants of their choosing. Captive elephants suffer from a number of common maladies, including foot disease and arthritis from walking on hard surfaces, herpes, tuberculosis and mental distress.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The problem is that elephants are a big draw for zoos, a long-time status symbol and the key figures in an ideological battle with some animal rights groups that are against keeping animals in captivity.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Many experts believe the zoo industry — led by the powerful Association of Zoos and Aquariums, a U.S.-based trade organization that sets standards for its members — operates on the fear that elephants represent a line in the sand, which, if crossed, could open the door to losing other animals and ultimately lead to the demise of zoos. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">“If zoos refuse to recognize that they cannot adequately meet the needs of elephants in the small spaces that zoos provide, I think they’re going to open themselves up to much more severe criticism in the future,” says David Hancocks, a world-renowned former zoo director and co-editor of <em>An Elephant in the Room: The Science and Well-Being of Elephants in Captivity</em>. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The AZA has raised its standards for elephants in the face of new research and escalating criticism, but experts say standards are still far too low. Raising them further and too quickly would force most of its member zoos to spend tens of millions of dollars to meet the requirements of elephant keeping. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">A </span><a href="http://seattletimes.com/elephants/" target="_blank"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">recent series</span></a><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> by a Pulitzer Prize-winning investigative journalist at the Seattle Times suggests elephants are dying out in American zoos. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">For every elephant born in a U.S. accredited zoo, another two on average die, the newspaper found in a review of deaths since 1962. The infant mortality rate of zoo elephants is triple of that in the wild, the investigation found. The AZA disputes the analysis, saying it doesn’t account for advancement in care standards over the past several decades. The association has consistently criticized researchers and experts who suggest zoo elephants live shorter lives than their counterparts in the wild; its own analyses conclude both have similar life spans.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">In the past decade, the AZA has gone to great lengths to battle criticism about elephants in captivity and spin the story in its members’ favour. The association’s present-day elephant strategy was carved out in 2005 during a private meeting of AZA-accredited zoo officials at Disney World in Florida, and attended by directors from the Toronto Zoo, Quebec’s Granby Zoo and the Calgary Zoo, among others. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Documents reviewed at the meeting, first obtained by the Seattle Times, reveal the AZA acknowledged its zoo elephant population had declined to “crisis” levels and would be unsustainable unless member zoos ramped up elephant breeding programs. To manage the crisis, officials agreed to speak and act with a “unified voice” on all elephant matters — no public dissent allowed — and to state publicly that the AZA-accredited zoo elephant population was “thriving.” Animal rights advocates who disagreed with their vision would be labelled anti-zoo “extremists.”</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Two years later, the AZA and the communications firm it hired to manage the elephant crisis would win a public relations award for tipping public opinion in its favour.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Canadian zoo professionals who attended the 2005 meeting say there was nothing misleading about the elephant strategy and that plans for the future were made with the best interests of elephants in mind. AZA spokesman Steve Feldman said the PR campaign was an “effective effort” to defend its members from “spurious accusations” and “attacks from animal rights extremists.”</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">But it wouldn’t be long before zoos would again come under fire.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><strong>Whether you love</strong> Bob Barker or hate him, it’s fair to say things got weird when the man with the TV grin, the California tan and the shock of white hair came to town. In April 2011, as the city geared up for a long-anticipated decision on the future of the elephants, the former game show host and animal rights activist met with Toronto city councillors and weighed in on the great debate. “They’ll be far healthier at a sanctuary,” he told the city. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Barker offered up his own funds to get Toronto’s elephants to PAWS, a promise that would eventually balloon to an $880,000 commitment. Some would come to resent his involvement, arguing councillors and the public were influenced by his celebrity rather than facts.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">A few weeks after Barker’s visit, Toronto Zoo CEO John Tracogna delivered a carefully worded </span><a href="http://www.toronto.ca/legdocs/mmis/2011/zb/bgrd/backgroundfile-37859.pdf" target="_blank"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">staff report</span></a><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> to the board of management. Given the funds required to build appropriate facilities — about $16.5 million — and future operating costs of nearly $1 million per year, the report concluded the price tag to keep the elephants was too steep for the cash-strapped zoo.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">In a section titled “Animal Welfare,” the report stressed the decision was a financial one, not an admission that elephants don’t belong at the zoo. “Therefore,” the report declared, “the recommendation to phase out the Toronto Zoo’s elephant program is not an ethical issue.” The statement contrasts with positions taken by directors of some zoos — Calgary and Detroit, to name two — that have broken away from AZA’s “unified voice” and declared publicly that decisions to close their elephant exhibits were made for the welfare of the elephants. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Tracogna’s report went on to say zoo staff would work with the AZA’s elephant advisory group to find a location for Toronto’s pachyderms. “It should be emphasized,” he advised the board, “that the AZA ... will only recommend that our elephants be transferred to an AZA accredited facility.” </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">In the days leading up to the board meeting where the future of the elephants would be voted on, the AZA and the closely linked Canada’s Accredited Zoos and Aquariums wrote their own appeals. “The only way to assure that these elephants receive the highest level of care is to send them to an AZA-accredited facility,” AZA executive director Kristin Vehrs said in a May 10 letter to the board. “Non-accredited zoos and private elephant facilities” — “so-called sanctuaries,” she added — “are not an appropriate alternative.” </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The clash between zoos and sanctuaries stems from a collision of two fundamental belief systems. Zoos conduct research, fund and participate in conservation programs, and charge admission to folks who want to see their animal collections. Sanctuaries like PAWS operate as retirement homes for aging and ailing animals, and keep their elephants, for the most part, out of the public eye. But the key element over which the two sides disagree is breeding. The zoo industry, led by AZA, breeds its pachyderms in an effort to create a self-sustaining population for North American zoo collections. PAWS is against breeding elephants in captivity. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The May 12 Toronto Zoo board meeting brought zoo staffers and AZA officials together in one room with Zoocheck Canada — a Toronto-based animal rights organization that would come to play a key role in the elephant transfer — and representatives from PAWS, the California sanctuary. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Ed Stewart, co-founder of PAWS, attempted to defend his sanctuary, which zoo staff, councillors and reporters had been describing as an “unaccredited” facility, even though it is accredited by the Global Federation of Animal Sanctuaries. PAWS has never sought accreditation from the AZA, Stewart tried to explain, because it is not a zoo or an aquarium.<strong></strong></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Stewart’s message didn’t translate. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">“When I retire and my kids are deciding what to do with me, I want to go to a licensed nursing home,” zoo vice-chair and city councillor Paul Ainslie said at the meeting.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">In the end, the zoo board voted to close</span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> the elephant exhibit and send Iringa, Thika and Toka to an AZA-accredited zoo, as recommended by Toronto Zoo staff and the AZA. A sanctuary would only be considered if a suitable accredited facility could not be found, which officials noted was unlikely.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><strong>It was after</strong> 10 p.m. on Oct. 25, 2011, when Toronto city councillor Michelle Berardinetti stood up in council chambers and presented a surprise motion to send the elephants to PAWS. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Six months had passed since the board decision, winter was fast approaching and the Toronto Zoo had not yet come up with a viable plan, though word was spreading that zoo officials were in talks with an AZA-accredited U.S. facility that was willing to take the elephants. Berardinetti’s motion would derail that plan. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Arguing that getting rid of the elephants now could save the city money, and suggesting another winter at the zoo could mean another dead elephant, the Scarborough Southwest councillor delivered an impassioned speech to her colleagues. The motion to send the elephants to PAWS was approved in a 31-4 vote — and that’s when the you-know-what really hit the fan.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Zookeepers were flabbergasted. “City politicians allowed an animal rights group to take away my right to have a say where the elephants that I cared for over 16 years spend their lives,” Vernon Presley, the zoo’s head elephant handler, wrote on Facebook. “I’VE EARNED IT YOU HAVEN’T!!!”</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Another zoo employee wrote that councillors were “idiots” who had “no f’in clue about what they are talking about.”</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">City councillor Glenn De Baeremaeker called the backlash a “guerrilla campaign” by a “rogue staff.” He and Berardinetti stressed that council had the authority to take the decision out of the zoo’s hands because the elephants are city property. Some elephant handlers and other zoo advocates accused the councillors of being “puppets” under the control of “ARAs” — animal rights activists. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">In mid-November, the keepers presented a petition to city council with 1,100 names on it, asking them to allow “the elephant experts at the Toronto Zoo” to continue their research and decide which facility is best for the elephants. Councillors took a lot of heat for the surprise motion, but they had the advantage of having some of the world’s leading elephant experts on their side, including Cynthia Moss, Joyce Poole and Keith Lindsay. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Lindsay, an elephant ecologist with the Amboseli Trust for Elephants in Nairobi, Kenya, wrote council to offer his view that sanctuaries are the only facilities in North America with conditions approaching what animals would experience in the wild, “while no zoos, accredited or otherwise, do at the moment.” His colleagues agreed. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Zookeepers have a view that is often coloured by “issues of tradition and status,” wrote Peter Stroud, a former zookeeper and director. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">“That they rightly feel a powerful sense of responsibility is not in doubt. That they are in a position to always know what is right and best for their animals, is patently untrue.”</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">As the debate waged on, Stewart made a trip to Toronto with his PAWS veterinarian to meet Iringa, Toka and Thika — a visit planned as per a Toronto Zoo board directive. But when he arrived, the zoo CEO told him it wasn’t a good time to see the elephants after all. Emotions were high and Tracogna said he didn’t know how staff would react if they saw Stewart there. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">In mid-December, amid escalating criticism of the antics of angry elephant keepers and accusations of foot-dragging, the zoo called a press conference. Tracogna told the public he regretted “inappropriate remarks” posted on Facebook by staffers who oppose the move and said the zoo was co-operating fully with PAWS in preparations for the elephant transfer. An early-spring departure deadline was set. It would be the first of many.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><strong>By the time</strong> the snow melted in 2012, three elephant-sized travelling crates had arrived in Toronto. Everything appeared to be on track. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Behind the scenes, however, relationships were deteriorating as the zoo began to investigate what officials would claim was a “tuberculosis problem” at PAWS. Throughout the spring, PAWS alleged the zoo’s due diligence investigation had become a “witch hunt,” while the zoo claimed the sanctuary wasn’t forthcoming with information. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">In April, weeks before the elephants were scheduled to depart, the AZA revoked the Toronto Zoo’s accreditation, setting off another wave of criticism about the council decision. The association was quick to say the decision had nothing to do with its position on sanctuaries; it happened because the council vote contravened its governance rules, which state that decisions about animal collections must be made by handlers. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">But industry insiders believe the move was a warning shot to other zoos considering sending their elephants to sanctuaries. “It was a crude political ploy,” says long-time zoo director David Hancocks. “And that’s all it was.” </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">In May, PAWS received an unusual request from the zoo — tuberculosis status reports on all wildlife found on the 930-hectare site, including deer and stray cats. The zoo’s wish list went above and beyond the requirements of the legal agreement between PAWS and the zoo. “No request like that has ever been made of us — or anyone else,” said an angry Ed Stewart. In one closed-door meeting, a senior zoo official even suggested PAWS co-owner Pat Derby might herself have tuberculosis. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The zoo would eventually hold a press conference, in September, to announce they were delaying the elephant transfer until 2013 because of “serious concerns” about TB at the sanctuary. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">PAWS supporters called the move a red herring, but the concerns were enough to persuade the zoo board to refer the elephant transfer to the city’s executive committee — a victory for zoo staff and supporters. Council would have to vote again. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">In the lead-up to the second vote, zoo staffers seemed confident council would do what they felt was the right thing. “Hoping to finally be able to take a breath ... let the truth prevail please!” elephant handler Heather Kalka wrote on Twitter.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">They would be disappointed. On Nov. 27, council reaffir</span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">med its decision, voting 32-8 to send the elephants to PAWS.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><strong>Iringa’s ears flap</strong> gently in the winter wind as she sways from side to side in the elephant enclosure, her trunk skimming the ground as she shifts her weight from left to right. The temperature sits just above 5 C, which means the elephants are allowed outside today. As she rocks, Iringa stares blankly at the few visitors who have come to see her. Her movement is a dance of sorts, slow and rhythmic. Sad, some might say. In fact,<strong></strong>a handful of visitors make this observation during a one-hour period on a weekday afternoon in January: She looks sad.<strong></strong></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Elephant ecologists say this rocking motion is a sign of psychological distress seen frequently in captive elephants. But even this conclusion is political. To some, yes, Iringa looks sad. Others would argue we can’t possibly interpret the thoughts of an elephant. Maybe she’s happy and we just don’t know it. Maybe she’s having a bad day. Maybe she’s sick of being at the centre of a never-ending story.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">“I’m not looking in the past,” Tracogna said in a recent interview. “I’m looking forward.”</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">This is the official message of the zoo: The council direction to move the animals to PAWS will be followed and a new transfer team is working diligently toward a spring deadline. “Elephants were a chapter in the history of the zoo, like many other chapters that were written before,” the CEO said. In other words, it’s time to move on. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">But can his staff let it go? Will they?</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">On a private Facebook page where Toronto Zoo supporters and some keepers share information and air grievances, there has been chatter about filing a complaint with the OSPCA about the transfer plan or seeking “federal interference.” </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Last month, a week before Christmas, a dejected troupe of Toronto Zoo employees attended<strong></strong>a zoo board meeting.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">As has become the norm when elephants are on the agenda, emotions were high. At one point, Councillor De Baeremaeker scolded one senior zoo official for “heckling.”</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Later, on a public Facebook page run by some elephant keepers and their supporters, handler Alison Babin shared the latest news.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">“Toronto elephants on track for April departure,” read the headline of an article she posted.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Within minutes, a member of the anti-PAWS faction had responded: “Or not.” </span><br />
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<strong><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Elephant deaths</span></strong><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Seven elephants have died at the Toronto Zoo since 1984. In 2008, Zoocheck Canada obtained the zoo’s necropsy results:</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> <span style="font-size: 13px;">•</span> TW, 2 days old, died in 1984 from stomach and bowel problems.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> <span style="font-size: 13px;">•</span> Tantor, 20, died in 1989 from heart failure after surgery to extract an infected tusk.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> <span style="font-size: 13px;">•</span> Toronto, 10, died in 1994 from toxemia.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> <span style="font-size: 13px;">•</span> Patsy, 39, euthanized in 2006 due to chronic pain from arthritis and foot infections.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> <span style="font-size: 13px;">•</span> Tequila, 38, found lying on an electric fence in 2008. The necropsy report was inconclusive.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> <span style="font-size: 13px;">•</span> Tessa, 40, died in 2009. She fell against an electric fence after being hit by another elephant during a struggle over hay. The necropsy report indicates she died from attempts to get her on her feet and chronic wasting syndrome.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> <span style="font-size: 13px;">•</span> Tara, 41, died after falling in 2009. She had severe arthritis in both back leg joints, which made it difficult for her to stand.</span><br />
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Whttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04731155985014810942noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5183432837503517756.post-72428034170933600082012-12-20T12:50:00.001-08:002012-12-20T12:50:11.441-08:00Toronto elephants going to sanctuary<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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Toronto elephant move to PAWS targeted for spring</h1>
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<span>Elephant at Toronto Zoo </span></h3>
<span class="topsCredit">TORONTO STAR STAFF/RENE JOHNSTON </span><span class="topsCaption">The Toronto Zoo is now working toward sending its aging trio of female African elephants to PAWS, a California sanctuary that zoo veterinarians have harboured doubts about. </span></div>
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<strong>Donovan Vincent</strong> <br /><span>Staff Reporter</span> </div>
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It remains a tough pill for some to swallow, but the Toronto Zoo is now working toward a spring target to get its three remaining elephants on a plane to PAWS.<br />
Tension was apparent Tuesday morning at the meeting of the zoo’s board of management, its first since city council voted 32-8 last month to send the zoo’s aging female African elephants to the California sanctuary.<br />
That vote reaffirmed a decision council made on the elephants last year. But by doing so, councillors once again rejected the advice of trained zoo staff. <br />
Prior to the latest vote, the zoo’s CEO and senior veterinarians had urged city councillors to cancel PAWS (the Performing Animal Welfare Society) as the pachyderms’ destination. The zoo wanted them sent to an Association of Zoos and Aquariums (AZA) facility in Florida, which isn’t built yet. <br />
Several zoo staff attended Tuesday’s board meeting, dejection etched on their faces. There were heated exchanges during the meeting. Councillor Glenn DeBaeremaeker, who voted in favour of the move to PAWS, harshly admonished one senior zoo employee for “heckling’’ during the meeting.<br />
There were also tense exchanges between board members DeBaeremaeker and Councillor Gloria Lindsay Luby, who voted against the move to PAWS.<br />
Last month’s council resolution ordered that Toka, Thika and Iringa go to PAWS on or before Dec. 31, 2012 — or as soon as possible. Zoo CEO John Tracogna said that date wasn’t feasible.<br />
“We’re looking at a spring date. That seems to be the next target,’’ he told the meeting. Afterward, Tracogna reiterated that the zoo is abiding by council’s wish and working to get the transfer finished.<br />
The meeting heard that a U.S-based company called Active Environments will be working with the zoo and PAWS to move the animals.<br />
Julie Woodyer, a director with Zoocheck Canada, the animal rights group representing PAWS, said that as far as she knows, former “The Price is Right” game show host Bob Barker is still paying for the relocation.<br />
Barker has pledged about $800,000 for the transfer, much of which will probably go toward renting a cargo plane. Woodyer said her group will soon make an announcement about a plane. </div>
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Judy McCoy Carmanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04810442845967208651noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5183432837503517756.post-40730374828690310822012-12-10T19:35:00.001-08:002013-01-02T10:42:32.001-08:00<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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Why Are Baby Elephants Being Sold to Entertainment Companies?</h1>
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by <a href="http://www.care2.com/causes/author/amgraef" rel="author" title="Posts by Alicia Graef">Alicia Graef</a></div>
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December 6, 2012, 11:30 am</div>
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<br />Last week Rose-tu, an Asian elephant at the Oregon Zoo, made headlines for giving birth to a healthy 300 pound baby girl who is now the center of a campaign to find her a name and a controversy over her future.<br /></div>
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“The outpouring support for the zoo and its newest resident has been incredible,” <a href="http://oregonzoo.org/news/2012/12/zoo-seeks-help-naming-baby-elephant-vote-now" target="_blank">said</a> Kim Smith, zoo director. “Rose-Tu and her calf are doing well. They’re bonding and comfortable with each other. Now it’s time to give the calf a name that suits her.”<br /><br />
What the zoo failed to tell everyone was that they don’t own this little one. According to the <a href="http://seattletimes.com/html/localnews/2019822187_elephants04m.html" target="_blank">Seattle Times</a>, the newborn is property of Have Trunk Will Travel, a private company that “rents out pachyderms to the entertainment industry, stages circus like events and offers elephant rides at $500 an hour.”<br /><br />
It’s part of a deal the zoo struck with company in 2005 to give them Rose-Tu’s second, fourth and sixth calves. The zoo initially denied any such deal until confronted by the Times with a copy of the contract, then they were all, “oh, <em>that</em> contract” and issued a statement:<br /><br />
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The contract is valid. As per the agreement, official designation of ownership takes effect after the calf has lived 30 days. Once that happens, the Oregon Zoo will be in discussion with Have Trunk Will Travel regarding ownership, and it is the zoo’s intent to retain Rose-Tu’s calf.<br /></div>
On Tuesday, Oregon Zoo director Kim Smith called a press conference to deal with the controversy generated by the Seattle Times, reports <a href="http://www.king5.com/news/local/Oregon-Zoo-elephant-baby-to-join-traveling-show-182005181.html" target="_blank">King 5</a>.<br /><br />
“They can’t come here and take an animal,” she said. “The zoo and Have Trunk have a positive relationship and the company also wants to have the calf remain at the zoo.”<br /><br />
Even if the zoo wants to keep her, they already signed away their rights. If Have Trunk Will Travel wants to take her, they can.<br /><br />
If Have Trunk Will Travel sounds familiar, that’s because it’s the same company that <a href="http://www.care2.com/causes/elephants-tortured-during-making-of-water-for-elephants-video.html" target="_blank">came under fire last year</a> for abusing elephants during the filming of the movie Water for Elephants. The company denied allegations, but indisputable mistreatment was caught on video.<br /><br />
The company also has a history of using chains and bullhooks and has faced criticism for allowing unrestricted contact with elephants at fairs and zoos. Yet, for some reason, the company is accredited by the Association of Zoos and Aquariums (AZA), which means they are free to breed elephants and trade them with zoos.<br /><br />
Meanwhile the AZA is free to mix ‘n match elephants with little regard for bonds forged and broken or what’s in their actual best interest, while pawning surplus animals off on the entertainment industry.<br />
If Rose-tu were living in the wild, she and her calf would remain together for life.<br /><br />
Unfortunately, captive breeding and selling/trading wild animals is a common practice that affects the lives of thousands of creatures every year. The Oregon Zoo <a href="http://oregonzoo.org/news/2012/12/rose-tus-baby-and-oregon-zoo-faq" target="_blank">cited</a> the Species Survival Plan (SSP) and an interest in having a multigenerational herd as the reason for entering into a contract with Have Trunk Will Travel and claims that their “work towards preserving the species is vital.”<br /><br />
“The hypocrisy of breeding animals in captivity who will be doomed to live in unnatural enclosures in the name of conservation and science is a practice which should be eliminated by the AZA and replaced with truthful information about captivity and the compelling need to protect wild species and habitat,” <a href="http://archive.constantcontact.com/fs018/1101778242429/archive/1105674117773.html" target="_blank">wrote</a> Pat Derby, Director and Founder of Performing Animal Welfare Society (PAWS) in a letter criticizing the AZA.<br /><br />
SSP programs result in “surplus” animals who are used to make genetic contributions to a captive population and are no longer needed afterwards. When zoos no longer need, or want to keep animals for whatever reason, they may sell them to dealers, circuses, traveling shows and even canned hunting facilities.<br />
If zoos actually cared about elephants they would contribute to real conservation efforts instead of wasting fortunes on breeding programs and enclosures that will never be adequate for an animal that should be roaming miles every day with the ability to explore landscapes and choose their own companions. It does not serve elephants, or any species, to breed them with no plan for reintroduction into the wild or any plan to care for those used for the remainder of their lives.<br /><br />
Zoos themselves aren’t much safer when it comes to the well-being of elephants with captivity resulting in a host of problems that are not seen in the wild from foot problems and arthritis to fertility issues, behavioral abnormalities and aggression.<br /><br />
The Oregon Zoo itself has a history of failure when it comes to elephant care. Rose-tu was born there and has suffered abuse at the hands of her handlers who left bullhook wounds all over her body and emotional scars that left her unable to even tolerate being examined.<br /><br />
An exam in 2000 found “multiple puncture wounds on her head, behind her ears, on both shoulders and on both rear limbs. There were also two puncture wounds in the soft skin between the anus and the base of the tail. Rose also had a 15-inch long laceration over the top left gluteal area. She became agitated during the exam, especially when her tail area was examined, and further lesions could not be identified,” <a href="http://www.helpelephants.com/oregon_zoo_health_status.html" target="_blank">according</a> to In Defense of Animals.<br /><br />
The abuse was so bad the USDA actually filed charges against the zoo for violating the Animal Welfare Act. Sadly, Rose-tu wasn’t the only one being abused.<br /><br />
Fortunately, the plight of captive elephants is gaining traction as more people learn about their physical, social and emotional needs. In recent years, many progressive facilities have phased out their elephant exhibits, while others are in the process of doing so.<br /><br />
A federal judge recently <a href="http://www.care2.com/causes/judge-zoo-delusional-to-believe-its-elephants-are-happy.html" target="_blank">declared that Los Angeles zoo officials were delusional</a> to believe their elephants are happy. Los Angeles is now working on <a href="http://www.care2.com/causes/elephants-go-first-la-takes-steps-to-stop-circus-cruelty.html" target="_blank">banning elephants in circuses</a>, while the <a href="http://www.care2.com/causes/will-canadian-zoo-elephants-get-a-new-home.html" target="_blank">three who have been waiting in Toronto</a> to go to PAWS in California are finally expected to be moved from their inappropriately chilly home by the end of the year, with the help of large contribution from Bob Barker.<br /><br />
If you want to help elephants and other exotic animals in captivity please support state and federal legislation banning their use in traveling shows, circuses and auctions or as pets, avoid drive-through animal parks and roadside zoos or any zoos or facilities where they’re exploited or sold for a profit.</div>
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Read more: <a href="http://www.care2.com/causes/sad-future-in-entertainment-for-one-baby-elephant.html#ixzz2Ei7UL49a" style="color: #003399;">http://www.care2.com/causes/sad-future-in-entertainment-for-one-baby-elephant.html#ixzz2Ei7UL49a</a></div>
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Judy McCoy Carmanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04810442845967208651noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5183432837503517756.post-43454710094425344842012-11-15T17:55:00.000-08:002013-01-02T11:00:54.710-08:00City Council votes to support Brendan's decision to not allow Tembo and Sunda to retire to the sanctuary<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">OK everyone—the sad news is that the Topeka City Council voted unanimously on October 23, 2012, <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>to support the Zoo’s decision to keep Tembo & Sunda in the same inadequate enclosure until they die.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">City Manager Colson started out by saying they had received 9,000 emails.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He said <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>”We’ve been<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>pushing back against these groups.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>If we believed that there was a better place, we would have recommended it.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We do not have an elephant crisis.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Through the process we have identified improvements we can make".<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>(Perhaps we can take comfort in the massive support we got from around the world<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>and that maybe these “improvements” would not have happened if we hadn’t pushed.) </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">Sadly, those who spoke in favor of keeping Tembo and Sunda at the zoo clearly did not understand the core issue, i.e., human beings do not have the right to keep elephants behind bars for their entire lives simply for human entertainment. The fact that Tembo and Sunda were stolen from their families in Africa and Asia as babies makes it all the more shameful that freedom has been denied to them in their final few years. Add to that the strong likelihood that their mothers and aunts were gunned down in order to capture them, and elephants don't forget such things. In fact, it has been documented that elephants can suffer from PTSD just like humans. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">Brendan Wiley, the Zoo's Director, said adding one or two elephants, so that if one dies the other will not be alone, is expensive and not sustainable.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Regarding an expansion, he said he would like to have a “true elephant conservation breeding and education facility”, but that he couldn’t discuss this because it would depend on so many unknown factors.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He said they consulted 15 professionals (all zoo industry people mind you) and they all agreed Tembo & Sunda should stay at the Topeka Zoo due to familiarity, age and good health.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>They also recommended to “leave them here, but do it better".<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He said they will become better elephant managers, use the existing space and turn it into something better.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> "</span>We have a new philosophy, i.e, respect the natural tendencies of elephants and meet their needs 24 hours a day.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It is the “habitat concept” i.e., stimulate behavior while they are awake and a comfy place to sleep.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We want to “allow elephants to be elephants all day long.”<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He said working from this philosophy would “create a foundation from which to determine the future.”</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">The interesting thing about the language being used is that it appears there is a growing awareness that elephants need more than just a barren cage. It is our job as activists to keep this consciousness growing among the public until we reach the tipping point where it is finally realized that zoos cannot "allow elephants to be elephants" so long as they are housed in inadequate environments such as zoos and circuses. That is not because the keepers and administrators do not care. Some do. No, it is because: (1) Zoos simply aren't large enough to provide what elephants need, and if they did, people would not be able to see them. They would be too far away, keeping their distance from the noisy crowds, and (2) Because the very word "allow" implies that we have the right to dominate and control these majestic animals and deprive them of their freedom. And in truth, we do not have that right.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">Thanks to PAWS and The Elephant Sanctuary, there are now two elephant sanctuaries in the U.S. where retired elephants, if they're lucky enough to be retired from zoos & circuses, can have some semblance of the freedom and dignity they once knew. Without these sanctuaries, there would be no options for these elephants in North America except captivity and deprivation. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">It doesn't look like Tembo and Sunda will know a few years of freedom before they die as we had hoped and worked for over the last five years. It is heart breaking and truly sad that those in power over these elephants could not see beyond their own selfish wants. For now, we will continue to monitor their care and visit with Brendan Wiley to observe the "improvements" to their cage. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">In the meantime, our heartfelt thanks go out to everyone who took the time to write, to send emails, to make phone calls and to those who showed up at all the City Council meetings and voiced your support to retire these elderly elephants. </span></div>
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Judy McCoy Carmanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04810442845967208651noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5183432837503517756.post-890711042132215242012-10-15T12:53:00.000-07:002012-10-19T09:39:17.627-07:00Through the Eyes of an Elephant<div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<a href="http://www.helpelephants.com/bizarro_cartoon_11_09.html" style="clear: left; cssfloat: left; cssfloat: left; float: left; height: 179px; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em; width: 201px;"><img alt="les schobert" height="200" src="http://www.helpelephants.com/images/bizarro_cartoon_11_03_09_s2.jpg" width="167" /></a></div>
Whttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04731155985014810942noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5183432837503517756.post-58756259076397254402012-10-04T07:42:00.001-07:002012-10-04T07:42:13.872-07:00<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><strong>Please attend the two public meetings that the Zoo Directer is hosting regarding the future of Tembo & Sunda</strong></span><br />
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<span style="color: blue; font-family: Arial;">First Meeting -- Tuesday, October 9 at 6:00 p.m. at the Big Gage Shelterhouse in Gage Park</span><br />
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<span style="color: blue; font-family: Arial;">Second Meeting -- Saturday, October 13 at 2:00 p.m. in the Gary Clarke Living Classroom at the Topeka Zoo</span>Whttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04731155985014810942noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5183432837503517756.post-19113224489271434702012-09-26T10:34:00.001-07:002012-09-26T10:45:00.614-07:00Please contact City Officials and the Zoo Director<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">and let them know you want Tembo & Sunda retired to The Elephant Sanctuary.</span><br />
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<u><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">New Topeka City Manager, Jim Colson:</span></u><br />
<a href="mailto:jcolson@topeka.org"><span style="color: blue; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">jcolson@topeka.org</span></a><br />
<span style="color: blue;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="color: blue;">785-368-3725<br /></span></span></span><br />
<span style="color: blue;"><span style="color: black; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><u>Topeka City Council Members:</u></span></span><br />
<a href="mailto:council@topeka.org"><span style="color: blue; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">council@topeka.org</span></a><br />
<span style="color: blue; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">785-368-3710</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span><span style="color: blue;"><span style="color: black; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><u>Zoo Director, Brendan Wiley:</u></span></span><br />
<a href="mailto:bwiley@topeka.org"><span style="color: blue; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">bwiley@topeka.org</span></a><br />
<span style="color: blue;"><span style="color: blue; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">785-368-9180</span></span>Whttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04731155985014810942noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5183432837503517756.post-38838235795690525912012-03-16T08:50:00.000-07:002012-07-19T14:00:33.537-07:00Topeka Library meeting re: The Elephant Sanctuary Q&A<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><strong>Join AOK for our second public meeting on Thursday, July 26th at 7:00 p.m.</strong> <strong>at the Topeka Library </strong>where we will show an informational video on The Elephant Sanctuary in Hohenwald, TN, discuss the situation with Sunda's foot disease and the recent complaint that was filed on her behalf to the USDA, and answer any questions you may have regarding retiring Tembo & Sunda from the Topeka Zoo to this Sanctuary. </span><br />
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<br /></div>Whttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04731155985014810942noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5183432837503517756.post-67466459776814271692012-01-26T13:04:00.000-08:002012-07-20T07:33:43.655-07:00<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<span style="color: blue; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><strong>Topekans, the Topeka City Council members, the Zoo Director and City Manager need to hear from you!</strong> Please e-mail them at the e-mail addresses below, and let them know as a citizen of Topeka, you want the best for Tembo & Sunda which is to take them off display at the Topeka Zoo and retire them to The Elephant Sanctuary. These elephants need your voices.</span><br />
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<span style="color: blue; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Thank you. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">This email will go to all City Council members: </span> <a href="mailto:council@topeka.org"><span style="color: blue; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><strong>council@topeka.org</strong></span></a><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">This email will go to Dan Stanley, City Manager: </span><a href="mailto:dstanley@topeka.org"><span style="color: blue; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><strong>dstanley@topeka.org</strong></span></a><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">This email will go to Brendan Wiley, Director of the Zoo: </span> <a href="mailto:bwiley@topeka.org"><strong><span style="color: blue;">bwiley@topeka.org</span></strong></a></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial;"><strong>Other ways to contact them</strong>: To write or call any or all city council members <a href="http://www.topeka.org/pdfs/councilmember_phone_addresses.pdf">this page</a> has their home addresses, emails, and phone numbers. It is their job to respond to the concerns of their constituents. Remember, the city owns the zoo. The council can make this honorable decision to send Tembo and Sunda to The Elephant Sanctuary. </span><br />
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<strong><span style="color: magenta; font-family: Arial;">Even if you are not from Topeka, please contact these council members and voice your concerns as potential tourists and visitors to Topeka. </span> </strong></div>Whttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04731155985014810942noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5183432837503517756.post-63380137495230175782011-03-21T21:05:00.000-07:002012-01-19T11:16:31.655-08:00Why Retire Tembo and Sunda from the Topeka Zoo to The Elephant Sanctuary?<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<span style="font-family: Symbol;"><span style="color: #3d85c6; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>Here are just a few compelling and urgent reasons why Tembo and Sunda should be given the gift of freedom to live their remaining years at The Elephant Sanctuary:</b></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: arial;"><br /><strong><u>Poor health and possibility of premature death at the zoo</u></strong>: Tembo and Sunda are running out of time. They shouldn’t have to wait any longer. Sunda, the 49+-year-old Asian elephant suffers chronic foot disease and shows “deterioration of digits” (bones) in one foot (Topeka Zoo Program Manual). 40-year old Tembo also suffers from foot problems caused by lack of space and long hours standing on hard surfaces. Both have chronic temporal gland abscesses and experience severe psychological stress. That is why they rock back and forth and display neurotic, repetitive behaviors that are never seen in free elephants. These and other problems in captive elephants cause tremendous suffering and premature death. Foot problems are among the leading reasons for euthanizing elephants in captivity. No one wants these elephants to die at the zoo, but it is a very real possibility. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: arial;">In 2000, the Topeka Zoo’s AZA accreditation was tabled, and in 2001 it was tabled again for six months due to low level of staffing and resultant concern about adequacy of veterinary care, the need for more training (to bring employees up to industry standards), and the need for completion of training for the elephant care staff and the need to improve management/staff relations.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: arial;">In 2002, the zoo was trying to fill 12 keeper positions at the same time. However, the AZA apparently accredited the zoo that year. The recent 2009 AZA inspection continued to cite personnel problems, the need for more veterinary care, and serious morale problems among employees. The USDA 2009 inspection found numerous problems associated with animal care. This further underlines the urgency of getting the elephants to a sanctuary. At a sanctuary, the soft soil and wide open spaces in which to roam will arrest their foot deterioration and bring healing both physically and psychologically. The USDA also cited them for inadequate health records, so these elephants may be even sicker than we know.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: arial;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><u>Lack of Space</u></b>: The Topeka Zoo provides less than 3/4 of an acre for the world's largest land mammal that travel tens of miles a day in the wild. City of <city st="on"><place st="on">Topeka</place></city> spokesman, David Bevens told the media “The elephant yard is what it is…We’re providing the best exhibit that we can within the limited space that we have at that site.” Catherine Doyle of In Defense of Animals responded, “When ‘the best we can’ causes this kind of suffering, it’s time to recognize it isn’t nearly enough.” </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: arial;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><u>Climate</u></b><u>:</u> Elephants are tropical animals not suited to <place st="on"><city st="on">Topeka</city></place>’s long, frigid winters. Tembo and Sunda will spend the majority of their time indoors in tiny cages during the winter months, which greatly exacerbates foot problems. Zoo visitors are unable to view the elephants when they are indoors. The huge expense to keep the elephants goes on every month even though the public cannot see them for nearly half the year.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: arial;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><u>Species Differences</u></b>: Tembo is African and Sunda is Asian, a mix not recommended due to behavioral differences between the species. In fact, zoo records show that Tembo and Sunda have regularly displayed aggression towards one another, sometimes resulting in injuries (see Medical History link).</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="font-family: Symbol;"></span><strong><u>Retirement</u></strong>: Sunda has been on display at Topeka Zoo for more than <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">45 years</b>, and Tembo for more than <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">35 years</b>. The photo above shows them in their cage where they were housed for many years prior to building the new elephant barn, which is slightly bigger. For decades, these elephants were chained almost 24/7. These elephants deserve a chance to retire with dignity to a facility where they can live out their lives much closer to the way nature intended. Elephants, like human beings, live in multi-faceted societies. They are highly intelligent, possess complex needs and emotions, have exceptional memory and live unusually long lives. They can remember other individuals after more than a decade of separation, and are capable of emotions such as joy, anger, grief, sympathy, playfulness and revenge. Numerous scientific observations suggest that: (1) Elephants recognize their own image in a mirror indicating that elephants are self-aware, (2) Elephants have the capacity for both empathy and anticipatory planning, including the possibility of imagining future events such as pain to themselves and others; they mourn when one of them dies and (3) Elephants suffer long-term psychological effects of trauma and abuse which may be expressed in the form of inappropriate and hostile behavior. Everything that is important to elephants is lacking in a zoo environment.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: arial;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><u>Elephant Exhibit Closures</u></b>: To date, 22 zoos have closed or plan to close their elephant exhibits, including major urban zoos in <city st="on">Detroit</city>, <city st="on">San Francisco</city>, <city st="on">Philadelphia</city>, <city st="on">Chicago</city>, <state st="on">New York</state> and <city st="on"><place st="on">Anchorage</place></city>. Eleven zoos have sent 15 elephants to sanctuaries. Most of the zoos are still AZA-accredited.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: arial;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><u>AZA, USDA, and Sanctuaries: </u></b>There are two USDA licensed sanctuaries in the <place st="on"><country-region st="on">U.S.</country-region></place>—The Elephant Sanctuary and The Performing Animal Welfare Sanctuary. They are not zoos so they do not need AZA accreditation. The conditions at the sanctuaries far exceed AZA standards. The zoo does not need approval from the AZA or the USDA to retire the elephants. Because both Tembo and Sunda are beyond the age for breeding (age 35 for elephants who have never had a baby), they are technically considered “surplus” animals according to AZA standards. While the approval of the AZA is not required, their recognition of the elephants’ status as “surplus,” may encourage the AZA to support the move. The zoos that have closed their exhibits have <strong>not</strong> lost their AZA accreditation as a result. The AZA is an industry trade group. Their job is to promote zoos. They have no regulatory power over them. They make money from zoos paying for their accreditation. They do not want to lose members. So they are not unbiased in their inspections.</span><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: arial;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><u>The Elephant Sanctuary:</u></b> </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="background-color: white; line-height: 18px;">The Elephant Sanctuary in Hohenwald, Tennessee is the nation's largest natural-habitat refuge developed specifically to meet the needs of endangered elephants. It is a non-profit organization, licensed by the U.S. Department of Agriculture and the Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency and accredited by the Association of Sanctuaries, designed specifically for old, sick or needy elephants who have been retired from zoos and circuses. Utilizing more than 2,700 acres, it provides three separate and protected natural-habitat environments for Asian and African elephants. Their residents are not required to perform or entertain for the public. Instead, they are encouraged to live like elephants. </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="background-color: white;">TES</span> </span><span style="font-family: arial;">has a world renowned veterinarian and elephant expert on staff, Dr. Susan Mikota. Their website is </span><a href="http://www.elephants.com/"><span style="font-family: arial;">http://www.elephants.com/</span></a><span style="font-family: arial;">.</span></div>
</div>Judy McCoy Carmanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04810442845967208651noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5183432837503517756.post-27486346905030987842011-02-08T15:10:00.000-08:002012-01-19T11:17:44.143-08:00Freeing Topeka Elephants a Win-Win-Win<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<span style="font-family: arial;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Time to really “see” the proverbial elephant in the living room</b>.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /> </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: arial;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Animal Outreach of <state st="on">Kansas</state> (AOK) proposes a win-win-win for the <place st="on"><city st="on">Topeka</city></place> Zoo</b>, <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">the elephants and the City. </b></span><span style="font-family: arial;">It’s an idea whose time has come.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Across the country, some of the most famous and progressive zoos, including <city st="on">San Francisco</city>, <city st="on"><place st="on">Detroit</place></city>, and many others have given a wonderful gift to their elephants.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>They have recognized that their elephant exhibits were simply inadequate to fulfill the complex needs of the elephants, and they have sent them to sanctuaries where they can live out their lives in social groups, roam over the vast hills, bathe in the ponds, and heal psychologically and physically from the many years of confinement. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: arial;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">The win-win-win for:<br /></b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">1.<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman";"> </span></span><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">The City</b>:<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Increased respect for the City and the Zoo for showing compassion and progressive thinking.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>After the Detroit Zoo retired its elephants to a sanctuary, they experienced no drop in donations or zoo visitors. Due to foot disease, Tembo and/or Sunda could die prematurely if kept at the zoo.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>AOK believes this is a tremendous opportunity for the Zoo and the City of <city st="on">Topeka</city> to show the world that the Topeka Zoo truly cares for their elephants and wants to put their welfare first, and that they realize their first priority should be to get Tembo & Sunda back into as normal an environment as possible, instead of living an unnatural life in captivity.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> <br /></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">2.<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman";"> </span></span><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">The Zoo</b>:<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>More funds for the Zoo to spend on other animals and their enclosures.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> Most zoos spend a</span>n average of $60,000 per elephant each year.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Older elephants like Tembo and Sunda can cost over $100,000 each per year. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"></span>The LA Zoo spends $156,000 each year on one elephant. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"></span>The Elephant Sanctuary </span><span style="font-family: arial;">will pay all expenses for moving and caring for the elephants for the rest of their lives at no cost to the City or Zoo. <br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">3.<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman";"> </span></span><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">The Elephants</b>: Well deserved peace at last, room to roam, healing, a climate suited to them, companionship, and a chance for real happiness.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>If the zoo installed a monitor or TV, zoo visitors could watch the elephants on the 24-hour Elecam at The Elephant Sanctuary and observe what Tembo and Sunda in a natural environment.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>While zoo visitors would no longer be able to see the elephants in person, neither would many of us be able to see a blue whale up close. Huge animals such as these need huge spaces that cannot be found in city zoos.</span></div>
</div>Judy McCoy Carmanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04810442845967208651noreply@blogger.com1