Moving elephant would endanger its health, city officials argue
Otiena Ellwand,
Edmonton Journal, Monday, October 28, 2013
The
debate surrounding the Valley Zoo's lone elephant is back in the
spotlight after the Toronto Zoo successfully transported its three
elephants to a sanctuary in California last weekend.
A local
animal-rights organization staged a protest Sunday at the west-end zoo
to demand the city convene a panel of experts to examine Lucy the Asian
elephant and reassess whether it's safe enough to move her. The group
says elephants are social by nature and shouldn't be kept alone or live
in a climate like Edmonton's.
"I'd like to ask city council to
look to Toronto," said Stacie Leppky, a board member with Voice for
Animals Humane Society. "Everyone in Canada is moving their elephants
and they need to step up and do something," At the beginning of
September, the Calgary Zoo transported its one male elephant to a zoo in
Florida and plan to move its three female elephants to a zoo in
Washington, D.C. this spring.City
of Edmonton spokesman Jason Darrah said Lucy has respiratory problems
that make it difficult for her to breathe when she's in stressful
situations, and moving her would exacerbate that.
"Based on
third-party scientific review and veterinary care, we have been advised
that Lucy is well adjusted and has some manageable health issues,
however moving her would cause her serious health risks and would likely
kill her," Darrah said Sunday.
Those visiting the zoo Sunday
morning had to walk past about 30 protesters to get inside and were
reluctant to talk about the issue. Protesters stood by holding signs
with slogans such as Nightmare at the Zoo, Free Lucy and Boo Hoo Zoo.
Visitor
Jessica Hogan said she believes that at 38, Lucy is too old to be
moved. "She has to stay where she is. She has too many health issues."
Hazel Roy, who attends the zoo regularly, pondered how the protesters would respond should Lucy die during transport.
"How
would everyone here feel? Would they blame the zoo?" Tove Reece,
executive director of Voice for Animals Humane Society, responded to
Roy's comment by saying, "If that should happen, I would say life here
is worse."
While the group does not want any harm to come to Lucy,
it challenges the findings of Dr. James Oosterhuis, the elephant expert
the city hired in 2009 and 2012, who determined that moving Lucy would
be life-threatening.
"If a group of experts came in and said it's
too dangerous to move her, we'd back off," Reece said. "We don't want to
send her to a certain death."
Darrah said as part of the zoo's
ongoing care of all animals, "we regularly bring in other experts ... to
support our veterinarian with his work."
The Valley Zoo doesn't plan on housing any more elephants after Lucy.
In 2007, a 25-year-old African elephant living at the Alaska Zoo in Anchorage was transferred to California after much debate.