Date
July 27, 2005
Contact
Debbie Leahy (PETA) 630-373-6735 (cellular)
RaeLeann Smith (IDA) 312-224-8650
In Defense of Animals
131 Camino Alto
Mill Valley
CA 94941
IDA is an international, California-based animal advocacy organization dedicated to ending the abuse and exploitation of animals by defending their rights, welfare and habitats.
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Ordinance Calls for Acres of Space, Ban on Cruel Disciplinary Devices
Chicago – Chicago City Council Member Mary Ann Smith (Ward 48), chair of the City Council Parks and Recreation Committee, has introduced an elephant-protection ordinance that would mandate that any elephant brought into the city have more suitable space, humane living conditions, and safe handling. Representatives from PETA, In Defense of Animals (IDA), and Friends of Wankie have been working to promote the ordinance, which was referred to the Parks and Recreation Committee and will be discussed at an upcoming hearing before going to a full City Council vote.
Noting that regulatory agencies are not adequately addressing the needs of elephants in captivity, Alderman Smith also introduced two resolutions calling on the American Zoo and Aquarium Association (AZA) and the U.S. Department of Agriculture to strengthen their elephant-care standards.
At least 39 elephants, excluding those 2 years old and younger, died between January 2000 and June 2005 at AZA-accredited facilities across the country, including three elephants at Chicago’s Lincoln Park Zoo. More than half of those 39 elephants never reached the age of 40, while a natural lifespan for elephants can be 70 years.
An elephant’s most basic need is room to walk about freely, which is critical for maintaining physical and emotional health. The ordinance would require that each elephant be given at least 5 acres of outdoor space and another 5 acres of climate-controlled indoor space. Traveling exhibitors would be required to comply with the AZA’s outdoor exhibit space standards. It would also ban painful devices commonly used by circuses and some zoos to discipline elephants, including steel-tipped bullhooks and electric prods.
“We want to make sure that ‘the city that works’ works for elephants too,” says PETA Director Debbie Leahy. “This ordinance would give Chicago the strongest elephant-protection law in the country.”
For more information, please visit PETA’s Web site SaveWildElephants.com and IDA’s Web site HelpElephants.com.