Date
June 16, 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.
Candlelight Vigil in Memory of Gita the Elephant’s Premature Death Highlights L.A. Zoo’s Inability to Care for Pachyderms
Los Angeles, Calif.—Members of In Defense of Animals (IDA) and Los Angeles Alliance for Elephants, joined by concerned L.A. residents, will gather tomorrow at L.A. Zoo’s Disney-sponsored annual gala fundraising event to hold a candlelight vigil and demonstration to memorialize the premature death of Gita, the elephant who died last Saturday.
What: Candlelight Vigil for Gita
When: Saturday, June 17, 2006, 5:00 p.m.
Where: L.A. Zoo, in front of main entrance
Gita, the 48-year-old Asian elephant at L.A. Zoo, died prematurely last weekend after suffering for many years from ailments 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.
Gita was the centerpiece in a debate over the L.A. Zoo’s ability to care for the vast spatial and social needs of elephants. Gita had long suffered from arthritis and painful chronic foot and bone infections. Last year Gita’s condition had worsened to the point where veterinary surgeons had to remove two-thirds of one toe due to extensive infection. Inadequate conditions at L.A. Zoo, such as lack of space for exercise and standing on hard, unyielding surfaces like concrete and compacted dirt, are responsible for these ailments.
Elephants in the wild walk tens of miles each day on natural surfaces, which serves to maintain foot and joint health. Had Gita remained in the wild, she could still have been reproducing into her 50s and lived well beyond that. The natural lifespan for elephants is 65-70 years, yet elephants are dying prematurely in zoos by about age 42.
Gita’s death has renewed calls from veterinarians, zoo industry insiders, and animal protectionists to send the surviving elephants at L.A. Zoo, Ruby and Billy, to a natural habitat sanctuary. Weeks prior to her death, the L.A. City Council voted to construct a $39 million elephant exhibit that still would be far too small to meet elephants’ needs. In the meantime, Ruby and Billy would have to spend the projected four years it will take to complete the construction in their current inadequate quarters waiting for the new artificial “habitat” to be built.
“L.A. Zoo is incapable of providing the vast space that elephants need for optimum health, mental stimulation, and social interaction with a large group of elephants,” said Catherine Doyle, IDA spokesperson. “No elephant should ever have to suffer again within its confines as Gita did. The elephant exhibit should be permanently closed and Ruby and Billy should be sent to a sanctuary without delay.”
For more information see www.helpelephants.com.