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LETTERS TO THE EDITOR - ANIMALS IN ENTERTAINMENT Dear Sirs, I am an animal lover who is deeply involved in the effort to release the elephants from the Los Angeles Zoo to the PAWS sanctuary in Northern California, which is closer than the Elephant Sanctuary in Tennessee. I am amazed that your magazine would write so favorably in the Yakkity Yak section of your October/November 2005 issue, about the American Zoo and Aquarium Association (AZA). From the perspective of the welfare of the animals, AZA standards are much lower than those of the sanctuaries, and leave a lot to be desired. . The AZA permits the capture of young elephants from the wild - despite the physical and emotional trauma this can cause to these close-knit families and herds. . The AZA permits very tiny enclosures, usually with concrete or hard compacted soil, which causes foot infections and abscesses, precipitating early arthritis and even irreversible osteomyelitis. . The AZA does not prohibit captive breeding, ignoring the fact that lack of space usually requires the mothers and calves to be separated, again causing great emotional trauma. . The AZA does not prohibit corporal punishment, including the use of bull-hooks and chains. . AZA accredited zoos often move the animals around between themselves, as if they were merely chess pieces, with no regard to the friendships and companionships that these animals have formed with one another, after they were cruelly wrenched away from their families in the wild. . Animal care personnel do not live on the premises and do not provide 24-hour monitoring. The list goes on and on. When the San Francisco Zoo administration finally came to their collective senses and released their elephants to the PAWS sanctuary in 2004, the AZA threatened the zoo with loss of accreditation - although they did not subsequently follow through on this threat. To its credit, the San Francisco Zoo went ahead with their decision to release their elephants to PAWS, although, tragically, it became a case of "too little, too late." Zoos are an anachronism today - the days of keeping animals confined for our amusement are long gone - especially when the animals are large, intelligent, family oriented, and need substantial space and freedom to walk and exercise and keep their feet and joints healthy. The AZA also adheres to outdated standards - and wields loss of accreditation as a threat to enforce compliance with these standards. In these days of high technology, including web-cams, there is no justification for imprisoning these sentient creatures, and pretending that there is educational value in seeing them behind bars. They are not acting as they would in nature - usually they just stand and rock back and forth, or sway from side to side, or display other psychotic behaviors that depress the viewer. The most frequent comment we hear at the elephant enclosure is "Why does he look so sad?" We are finding that - once people become aware of the high price these animals pay - most people would rather see them healthy and happy in natural surroundings, than behind bars and suffering medical and psychological problems. Opinion polls do not reflect the thoughts of those Americans who are informed about the facts, and who have had a chance to consider the tragic consequences of this continued enslavement of our fellow creatures on this planet. The AZA would make better use of its taxpayer-funded income if it promoted animal welfare and education in the countries of origin of these animals - focusing on such issues as illegal poaching, habitat destruction, and so forth. Thank you. Malathi Ramji SEEKING THE RIGHT HOME FOR ELEPHANTS Ron Kagan, Director of the Detroit Zoo, should be congratulated for taking such a bold and honorable position for the elephants in his charge. Though his position is unpopular with his peers in the AZA, he is taking action based on fact: the cold climate and limited space at the Detroit Zoo are negatively impacting the health of its two old elephants, and they need to be moved now. A sanctuary is the best choice. I have personally visited the elephant sanctuary in San Andreas, Calif., and it truly is a wonderful place for an elephant. Having been a Professional Member of the American Zoo & Aquarium Assn. (AZA) for almost twenty years and intimately involved in the management and care of captive zoo animals for over thirty years, I am saddened to see politics dictating the quality of life for animals in zoos. While the public is becoming increasingly enlightened about the plight of animals in captivity -- especially elephants -- zoos are not changing their captive management techniques. The truth is traditional enclosures are inadequate for elephants and cannot not meet their physical and psychological needs. Until the AZA and its member zoos reassess the plight of captive elephants, these animals will continue to suffer and die. It's time to put animal welfare before the politics of the zoo industry. Les Schobert (I was the General Curator of the Los Angeles Zoo and also was the General Curator of the North Carolina Zoo) Those who care about animals shouldn't support Mexican rodeos We as a society are ashamed of many of our past "traditions" like child labor, women's oppression and slavery. Mexican rodeos should join these "traditions" in the pages of history. Charreria is so violent that some of its events, such as horse tripping, have been banned in film and TV production and by the American Quarter Horse Association. Bans have also been imposed on the practice of "steer-tailing," in which a steer is prodded to run at full speed down a long chute, pursued by a charro (Mexican cowboy) on horseback. The charro grabs the steer's tail, wraps it around his boot and stirrup, then veers off, slamming the steer to the ground. Sometimes the legs of both the steer and the horse are broken, and the steer's tail is broken or torn off. We hope that anyone who cares about animals will not support this cruelty masquerading as entertainment. KRISTIE PHELPS Program Coordinator In Defense of Animals Mill Valley, Calif. Link to Article To the LA Times Editor, I was Animal Collection Curator at the Los Angeles Zoo from 1992 until 1996 and spent much of my 30 + year zoo career working with elephants. So I was disturbed to read "San Francisco Zoo Embroiled in Controversy" (9/13/04), describing the way the American Zoo & Aquarium Assn. (AZA) is bullying zoos around the country that are only trying to make decisions which are in the best interests of their elephants. Without even having visited the two elephant sanctuaries in the United States, the AZA has dismissed them as a potential retirement home for older and debilitated elephants after their lifetime of service to zoos. The elephant sanctuary I visited in San Andreas, Calif. which has received elephants from AZA zoos in the past -- is a wonderful place for aging elephants. Their standard of care is equal to, and even exceeds, that of any AZA zoo. Having been a Professional Member of AZA for over 25 years, I am horrified by the organizationšs lack of compassion. Elephants are living, breathing, and incredibly intelligent beings who are dependent on us for their quality of life. The AZA needs to start making decisions based on reality and not politics. Les Schobert Circuses
Denver Post
To the Editor: Rodeos
Dear Editor: It is irrefutable that animals used in rodeos are physically provoked into displays of "wild" behavior. Video footage shows that electric prods are used on them, the tails of baby calves are tugged and twisted in the chute prior to release so that they'll flee furiously from the source of pain, and flank or bucking straps are tightly cinched around the abdomen of horses and bulls to make them buck beyond their normal ability, often causing them to break their backs or necks.
Shoving electric prods into animals, twisting their necks, yanking them by their necks or legs,
slamming them to the ground and otherwise abusing them hurts them terribly. The cowboys voluntarily
risk injury by participating in the events; the animals have no such choice. Please steer clear of
rodeos.
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