-------------------------------------------------Why won’t Valley Zoo officials allow Lucy to be examined by unbiased elephant specialists?-------------------------------------------------Lucy is a 34-year old female Asian elephant living at the Valley Zoo in Edmonton.
 Lucy's life at the Valley Zoo is deficient in many respects. She is socially isolated, lives in a tiny barren enclosure, endures a number of ongoing health issues that the zoo has not been able to resolve and is forced to live through Edmonton's cold winters.
The Valley Zoo claims Lucy cannot be moved, that she is not a social elephant, is accustomed to Edmonton's weather and is quite happy where she is. Many of their claims are nonsensical and some ignore established scientific fact. As well, Lucy's continued social isolation is contrary to accepted management practices for elephants in captivity around the world.
While the Valley Zoo and the City of Edmonton try to paint a rosy, almost idyllic, picture of Lucy's life, the reality is quite different. A highly social , extremely intelligent, wide-ranging animal that was born in the tropical forests of Sri Lanka should not live alone in a tiny, barren zoo exhibit in a northern city.
Join Zoocheck in our campaign to give Lucy a better life. Click here to find out what you can do to help. |
Latest News and AnnouncementsZoocheck & PETA Sue City of Edmonton (February 1, 2010) CLICK HERE to read Originating Notice Requesting Declaratory Relief and Expert Affidavits CLICK HERE to read correspondence between Zoocheck Canada and the Edmonton Humane Society Today on behalf of PETA and Zoocheck, respected attorney Clayton Ruby will initiate legal action against the city of Edmonton over the conditions under which ailing elephant Lucy is forced to live at Edmonton's Valley Zoo—conditions that the groups say are cruel and unlawful. In a letter sent to Mayor Stephen Mandel in October, PETA and Zoocheck warned that legal action would be taken against the city in an effort to seek enforcement of Alberta's Animal Protection Act if Lucy's distress was not relieved. Ruby, along with representatives of PETA and Zoocheck, will discuss the case at a news conference on Monday after the application for declaratory judgment is filed in Alberta's Court of Queen's Bench. CLICK HERE to read Originating Notice Requesting Declaratory Relief and Expert Affidavits *****
Samantha in Better Conditions Than Lucy (December 7, 2009) It has now been more than two years since Samantha, the female African elephant who lived with Lucy at the Valley Zoo, was shipped to the North Carolina Zoo. Samantha enjoys far more space than she ever had in Edmonton, natural grass covered ground, long sightlines and the company of other elephants, while Lucy remains in social isolation in a small, barren exhibit in Edmonton. To view short video clips of Samantha taken in September 2009, click on the YouTube links below. *****
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Below is Part 1. Click on the link above to see both Parts 1 and 2.
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Star Trek's William Shatner is the latest celebrity to speak out for Lucy.
***** Ads that were supposed to run in the Edmonton Transit system starting today have been halted by the City of Edmonton.
***** Dr. Joyce Poole, an elephant biologist with 34 years of experience in elephant behaviour and communication, recently wrote to Edmonton's City Council. Click here to read the letter.
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Chronic health issues have killed
other elephants just like her