Date
June 12, 2006
Contact
Catherine Doyle
323-301-5730
Kristie Phelps
757-423-0093
In Defense of Animals
3010 Kerner Blvd
San Rafael
CA 94901
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.
Hindu Priest to Conduct Blessing at Memorial for Elephant at L.A. Zoo
Los Angeles, Calif.—Elephant lovers, a Hindu priest and members of the Los Angeles Indian community will gather Wednesday at the Los Angeles Zoo, amid fruits, flowers and other ritual offerings, to memorialize Gita, the 48-year-old Indian elephant who died prematurely this week after suffering for many years from painful chronic foot disease and arthritis that were a direct result of keeping her in inadequate conditions at the Zoo. Gita is the thirteenth elephant known to die at L.A. Zoo.
What: Memorial for Gita/ Blessing by Hindu Priest
When: Wednesday, June 14, 2006, 2:30 p.m.
Where: L.A. Zoo, in front of main entrance
Gita was taken from her family in India in 1959 and put on exhibit at the L.A. Zoo when she was just a baby. She had spent the last 2½ years of her life in an off-exhibit enclosure at L.A. Zoo, standing on concrete flooring in the barn, which exacerbated her joint and foot disease – conditions that are frequently lethal to elephants in zoos.
“We are honored to be joined by a priest from the Hindu Temple in Malibu in remembering Gita, not as a zoo specimen, but as an individual with a history, a family and a homeland,” said Catherine Doyle of In Defense of Animals, a co-sponsor of the event. “She suffered immensely in the zoo and her premature death will not be in vain.”
Gita’s plight is a centerpiece in the national debate about the ability of zoos to provide for the vast spatial and social needs of elephants, Earth’s largest land mammal. After reviewing Gita’s medical records from May 20, 2005 through August 9, 2005 and observing her at LA. Zoo, 23-year zoo and wildlife veterinarian, Dr. Mel Richardson said, “I believe Gita’s condition is poor to guarded. I will be astonished if she lives another six months. Gita is in this condition directly because of the over forty years of inactivity and over forty years of standing on concrete and/or hard packed substrate.”
Gita was the second elephant to die in less than two years from zoo-induced health problems at L.A. Zoo. In December 2004, 39-year-old Tara died after being found collapsed in her enclosure, much like Gita last Saturday. Tara had also suffered chronic and debilitating arthritis for years prior to her death, a direct result of inadequate zoo conditions. Asian elephants in the wild are known to reproduce into their 50s and have a natural lifespan of 70 years.
“How many more elephants have to die before Los Angeles Zoo recognizes that it cannot meet the needs of elephants?” asked Doyle. “We are calling on the Zoo and the Mayor to abandon all plans to construct a new elephant exhibit and send Ruby and Billy—the Zoo’s two surviving elephants—to a sanctuary without delay.”
For more information see www.helpelephants.com.