Date
June 30, 2006
Contact
Elliot M. Katz, DVM
415-388-9641, ext. 225
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.
IDA Blasts L.A. Zoo’s Update on Elephant Death
Zoo’s Failure to Disclose Crucial Information a Cover-Up, Group Says
Los Angeles, Calif.—In Defense of Animals (IDA) is calling the Los Angeles Zoo’s June 30, 2006 update on the death of Gita, the 48-year-old elephant who died at the Zoo on June 10, a cover-up and calling on the Zoo to issue the facts about what happened on the evening of Gita’s death so authorities can assess if the Zoo’s negligence was a violation of federal law. More than one well-placed source reported to IDA that zoo personnel first observed Gita in a downed position sometime before nine o’clock on of the evening prior to her death. L.A. Zoo officials confirmed this in a statement today, yet failed to specify who witnessed Gita in a downed position. If a keeper or veterinarian knew about her condition and the Zoo failed to act, it would be a violation of federal law.
It has been alleged that had Gita been cared for during these crucial hours, she may have survived, or at least her suffering would have been greatly lessened.
This latest act of negligence is the continuum of months and years of negligence toward Gita, who suffered from severe captivity-induced foot and joint disease. Zoo medical records indicate that Gita began to suffer from foot infections while still in her teens and developed arthritis in her 20s. Last September, Gita underwent surgery for her steadily deteriorating foot condition, so severe part of the bone in one of her toes had “disappeared” - literally rotted away due to advanced osteomyelitis. Yet the Zoo continued to keep her in the inadequate space and hard surface of her off-exhibit enclosure, which exacerbated her condition.
“Gita should have been sent to a sanctuary years ago,” said Elliot M. Katz, DVM, President of IDA. “The Zoo knew Gita would not get better until she was sent to a facility where she could walk upon soft soil to improve circulation in her feet. Instead, they used band-aid treatments until her condition was so painful that she sat down to get the pressure off her feet, which turned out to be fatal because she could not get back up.”
IDA filed a complaint with the USDA last week alleging that the L.A. Zoo violated the federal Animal Welfare Act by failing to provide prompt medical treatment to Gita and by holding Gita for two and one-half years in an inadequate off-exhibit area under conditions that exacerbated her severe arthritis and foot disease.
“We suspect that the Zoo’s press release is part of a cover up that has gone on for months starting with failure to acknowledge the severity of her condition, next by saying she was fine after her surgery, and finally by masking her illness with a steady diet of painkillers that were slowly ruining her kidneys. The Zoo knew she was suffering and her condition was continuing to deteriorate yet refused to transfer her to the lifesaving surroundings of a sanctuary,” continued Katz
Dr Katz, a veterinarian, is calling on Zoo veterinarians, keepers, and staff who have more information to contact IDA so the true facts will come out. The group will maintain anonymity. For more information visit www.helpelephants.com.