WP: Elephant's Death Renews (cold-weather zoo) Debate

[DeepModem Mom]

Elephant's Death Renews Debate
Cold-Weather Zoos Called Harmful

By Marc Kaufman
Washington Post Staff Writer
Friday, January 21, 2005; Page A03


An elderly elephant brought to the Lincoln Park Zoo in Chicago two years ago over the protests of animal welfare activists has died, adding to the already contentious debate over whether elephants belong in northern zoos with cold winters.

The 55-year-old animal, Peaches, was the oldest elephant in zoo captivity in the United States. Officials at the Lincoln Park Zoo attributed her death this week to "complications due to old age."

But activists said the elephant, which had spent most of its life at the San Diego Wild Animal Park, suffered from being in a much smaller enclosure and being exposed to lower temperatures than in Southern California.

Peaches was one of three elephants sent to Chicago in 2003 from the California zoo, which needed space for young animals newly captured in Africa. A younger elephant from that trio died suddenly at the Lincoln Park Zoo three months ago....


http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A24733-2005Jan20.html

[Cooley Hurd]

1. 19th century curios - there's no more sideshows, why are there still

...circuses and zoos?:grr:

Rest in peace, my pachyderm friend.:(

[leftchick]

2. Elephants Don't Belong in Captivity! Period!

Good-bye Peaches. I am so sorry humans destroyed your life for their amusement.... :(

http://media.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/images/I25159-2005Jan20L

~snip~

"It is ethically wrong to keep these intelligent and social animals, the world's largest land mammals, in small enclosures and barns just for human amusement," he said.

Lincoln Park spokeswoman Kelly McGrath said Wednesday that zoo officials had already decided to move the remaining elephant to another zoo as soon as arrangements can be made.

As highly social animals, elephants do not do well when kept alone. Dissatisfied with the zoo's response, activists have scheduled a protest rally at Lincoln Park today to call for the immediate transfer of the zoo's remaining elephant, Wankie, to a sanctuary.

According to a zoo statement, Peaches was found lying down Monday morning in her heated enclosure in the African Journey building. "Though she was alive, her eyes were unfocused and her breathing was labored," the release said. "For hours, veterinarians and keepers tried to get the elephant back on her feet, but to no avail." The animal was euthanized Monday evening.

[MadHound]

3. Well, while I sentimentally agree with that POV,

Keeping wild animals, especially endangered ones, in captivity doe serve some good. With captive animals. Zoololgists and others can study the animals in order to find out about problems in the wild, and how to better help those animals in the wild. Also, with endangered animals in captivity you have a good genetic reserve with which to repopulate the species when the shit hits the fan. I think that this happened on more than one occaison. If it weren't for this captive population, we wouldn't have the wild population.

But I also understand your point of view. I myself cannot stand to go into a zoo. While they've made great strides in providing relatively natural habitats, they animals know that they're captives, and it shows.

[Matilda]

4. Wildlife Reserves are one thing, zoos are another.

I can't bear zoos, most especially for large animals like elephants.
It seems barbaric to keep them confined in such necessarily small
spaces, even for supposed humane reasons.

[bleedingheart]

6. I agree but ..

my children have a greater love for wild animals that they have seen at the zoo. Reading and viewing pictures of elephants is entirely different from actually getting an opportunity to see one.

[grace0418]

22. Yes, and people who have a love and understanding of animals

are far more likely to care about keeping them from going extinct.

Unfortunately, humans have fucked up the planet to the point that many species don't have a wild habitat anymore. And while I think we should be working to correct that, what are we to do with the animals in the meantime? I think zoos are a necessary evil, unfortunately.

I do think that more needs to be done to make them better places for the animals and to teach kids (and adults) how to be more respectful. It drives me crazy when I see kids and their parents screaming at the animals, banging on their enclosures, throwing things at them. GRRRRRRRR. Why can't you just observe, and teach your children to respectfully observe? At the Brookfield Zoo just outside Chicago there are peacocks that roam freely on the grounds. When I was there last summer I actually saw a sign that said "OUCH! Please don't pluck the peacocks feathers". How fucking stupid do you have to be to think it's okay to pluck the feathers off a living peacock?! And you know the zoo wouldn't have made the sign unless it actually happened on a regular basis. God I hate people sometimes.

[Submariner]

5. The Elephant Sanctuary

in TN is where Peaches should have gone in retirement. Nice **ckup Chicago.

http://www.tappedintoelephants.com/asp/index.php

[RubyDuby in GA]

8. I love that place

I check their webcam everyday.

"The Elephant Sanctuary in Hohenwald, Tennessee, is the nation's only 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, designed specifically for old, sick or needy elephants who have been retired from zoos and circuses. Utilizing more than 2700 acres, it provides two separate and protected, natural habitat environments for Asian and African elephants. Our residents are not required to perform or entertain for the public; instead, they are encouraged to live like elephants."

Go here to see those beautiful animals for yourself: www.elephants.com

[Submariner]

17. My favorite is watching them play in the ES pond

Shirley and Jenny crippled from zoos and circuses

[leftchick]

16. Those elephants are resues from zoos and circuses...

and I donate to the ES. I was referring to elephants captured for human entertainment. Perhaps I was not clear enough?

[NorthernSpy]

7. life sentence for elephants

The Lincoln Park Zoo must be like Siberian exile for elephants.

Rest in Peace, Peaches. I'm sorry that some mean little fuckers belonging to my species wrecked your life beyond repair.

[kskiska]

9. There's an elephant in a zoo in Alaska

From the same article:

In Alaska, an effort has begun to move Maggie, the one elephant housed in the state, to a warmer climate. Zoo officials there are instead trying to meet her exercise needs by building what has been described as the world's largest treadmill.

Then, there's this:

NOTABLE . . . The Alaska Zoo was featured this past week in the monologues of both Jay Leno and David Letterman with both telling essentially the same joke. It went more or less like this:

"In Anchorage, Alaska, zoo officials are trying to figure out why its only elephant is depressed. Oh, let's see. Could it be because she's in a zoo in Anchorage, Alaska?"

http://www.adn.com/alaska/story/6029986p-5919410c.html

[sjgman9]

10. Chicago Resident Here

hold on, hold on,

Yeah, its cold here. There's going to be a foot of snow down tomorrow.
If they're protesting the fact that Lincoln Park Zoo held 3 elephants, then perhaps they should never have been sent here in the first place.

Dont knock Chicago or protest at the Zoo for shortsighted decisions made by people in other cities.

[blindpig]

11. elephants do not belong in zoos

and neither do anthropoid apes, our cousins. Proper conditions simply cannot be met for elephants in an urban zoo setting, the space required for a minimal sized social group alone rules this out. Then there's the matter of their intelligence, certainly the highest of non primate land critters. Even the best zoo is a jail for anthropoid apes. Personally I believe both elephants and anthropoid apes to be sentient.

Nonetheless, zoos have 2 important functions: as gene banks and facilitators of species recovery programs and education. The fact that we must recover species in zoos is an admission of failure and a last ditch effort, to be avoided if in situ recovery is at all possible. It is still better than kissing them off. Education is more important, only by building public support will we slow the carnage and seeing a live beast up close and personal beats the hell out watching the idiot box for forming an emotional connection.

Zoos can provide good living conditions for their charges, some better than others, and standards should be in place and enforced. As an example of an excellent zoo I'd suggest the Sonoran Desert Museum outside of Tuscon. Outstanding.

bp, former zookeeper.

[sleipnir]

12. I agree, totally.

Zoos can do nothing other than futher misery and suffering. Not to mention teaching people that it's acceptable to chain up animals for your own pleasure and amusement. The conditions at these zoos can still be deplorable, even if they have the AZAK approval.

[blindpig]

21. are you talking about elephants or

did you not read my entire post?

[leesa]

14. Poor argument. So keep their sperm. Why do you have to incarcerate

the animals?? My brother works at a zoo too and witnesses these kind of BS rationalizations all the time.

[blindpig]

15. science fiction

so, we are to rely on an unproved technology to preserve the unrecoverable? And in the meanwhile complete the devastation the planet so there is no place for these creatures to live? I suppose the rich of the future would appreciate such novelties. We must have the beasts visible and present in order to reinforce the argument for preserving their habitat. Sure, put them in a bottle, stick them in the fridge, we'll get around to them some day. Right, like last month's potato salad. Making that policy would be the kiss of death, giving bad policy and practice free reign to complete the destruction of the natural Earth.

Then there's the problem of higher animals, critters in which parental care and teaching is vital to survival. How do you handle that, out of the bottle?

I appreciate your desire for the animals welfare but I think you're confusing your sensibilities with what's best for the survival of the species. Many species can and do thrive in captivity, would you deny them the best chance for long term survival?

[youthere]

13. Maybe it's prophecy...

fortelling of wonderful things to come. I'll get worried if donkeys start keeling over.:dem:

[progressivebydesign]

18. I'm sorry for Peaches. Isn't 55 years elderly for an Elephant?

I happen to love zoos. Many of the animals in zoos, now, are rescues.. or products of captivity. I think it's misguided to heap scorn on zoos. Because it is the only way for millions of children to witness these animals in person, it serves an incredibly important purpose of making emotional connections that help save those animals in the wild. People, who can doom an entire species, cannot bond with theoretical animals.

[shrike]

19. I like zoos, too

Like the poster above, I think they can be better designed. I remember the Miami metrozoo had no cages: hidden moats and such, and certain species, like antelope and zebra, were kept together.
It's also important not to romanticize the wild: it can be a nasty, brutish place. Yes, they will be free, but they may also starve to death, die a painful death or live an otherwise short life.

Man has also screwed up the environment so much that the only hope for some species is a manmade place to live -- wildlife parks are the ideal place, IMO. But I realize they are not feasible everywhere.

BTW, did you know elephants were/are considered among the most dangerous animals in Africa? Maybe they heard about Peaches' fate, or those like her.

[GoddessOfGuinness]

20. In the wild, and elephant can live 60-70 years, if

it isn't killed by poachers.

Most animals live longer in captivity, because they have access to high-quality veterinary care and don't suffer from drought as they would in the wild.

I love elephants and would like my kids to see them as much as anybody; but it's pretty clear that zoos don't have the kind of space necessary to keep them happy and healthy.

I like the idea of a refuge for them. Maybe we should give them Florida. :evilgrin: