Written by PETA
… to sunny California. Not content with campaigning to get an ailing elephant named Lucy out of Edmonton's Valley Zoo, the tireless Bob Barker is now speaking out on behalf of Toka, Iringa, and Thika, the three elephants at the Toronto Zoo. Bob joins Toronto City Councilor Shelley Carroll, who is calling for the elephant trio to be moved to the more appropriate climate of a California sanctuary without delay—and for good reason. Seven elephants have died at the Toronto Zoo, none of old age. Some suffered and died from severe arthritis—one of the main reasons that captive elephants are euthanized—and joint disease.
Two of the elephants at the Toronto Zoo. loozrboy/cc by 2.0
As Bob eloquently points out, the California sanctuary offers elephants "acres and acres of land. They have a mud hole; elephants love to play in the mud. They have a pool; some of them stay underwater practically the whole summer. And there are elephants for them to socialize with. Elephants come in that have been mistreated and been lonely and depressed, and they just blossom. It's wonderful to behold."
Recognizing that elephants fare very poorly in captivity, progressive zoos all over North America have retired their elephants to sanctuaries.
Please let the Toronto councilors know that you support moving Toka, Iringa, and Thika to a home where they can thrive.
Written by Jennifer O'Connor
Jesse- PETA would like zoos to stop importing captured animals for exhibition and instead become sanctuaries providing permanent homes for captive exotic animals who have been rescued from abusive situations. If wildlife as we know it is to survive, the primary focus must shift from collections of animals in captivity to habitat preservation. To learn more about ways to help animals—in zoos and elsewhere—please visit www.peta.org/.../default.aspx.
Tim- Thank you for your comment and for sharing your thoughts about zoos.
PETA believes that animals meant to roam, fly, or swim freely don’t belong in captivity. Animals kept in zoos are denied everything that is natural and important to them; every aspect of their lives is controlled and managed. They are housed in cages that don’t come close to the jungles, deserts, and forests that are their natural homes. They have no choice in their diets, mates, or living companions. What is a few fleeting moments of distraction for visitors means a lifetime of misery for the animals.
The physical and mental frustrations of captivity often lead to abnormal, neurotic, and even self-destructive behaviors in animals, called “zoochosis.” This mental illness is marked by symptoms such as pacing, neck-twisting, head-bobbing, bar-biting, and other repetitive behaviors.
Surplus animals are another of the zoo industry’s dirty little secrets. Zoo administrators know that nothing brings paying customers through their gates faster than newborn animals. But breeding programs, which are often conducted under the guise of species preservation, inevitably result in a surplus of less crowd-pleasing adult animals. As a result, many zoos—including the Toronto Zoo—routinely trade, loan, sell, barter, and kill adult animals that they no longer want.
As long as people continue to think that it’s acceptable to confine wild animals in the name of “entertainment,” this cruel cycle will continue.
To learn more about ways to help animals—in zoos and elsewhere—please visit www.peta.org/.../default.aspx.
You will never rid the world of all zoos, but at least places like the San Diego Wild Animal Park is making a step in the right direction with its Heart of Africa exhibit.
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