Date
July 28, 2006
Contact
Suzanne Roy
(919) 732-8983
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.
Advocates Blast Oregon Zoo’s Elephant Program
Pending Euthanasia of Pet Highlights Plight of Elephants in Zoos Today
Portland, Ore.—In Defense of Animals (IDA) today charged the Oregon Zoo with holding elephants in inadequate conditions that have caused foot disease in six of the Zoo’s seven elephants. The charge comes after the Zoo’s announcement that it will euthanize 52-year-old elephant Pet, who has suffered for years from severe foot and joint disease.
Pet is not alone in her suffering. Even the youngest Oregon Zoo elephants suffer from foot problems. Chendra, 13, developed foot problems within two months of coming to the Zoo from Malaysia in 1999.
“The chronic abscesses, lesions, ulcers, fissures and fractured toes that plague the Oregon Zoo elephants are entirely preventable conditions that are unseen in wild elephants,” said Elliot M. Katz, DVM, IDA president and founder. “These foot problems are a direct result of the conditions in which the elephants are held at the Oregon Zoo.”
Foot problems are caused by too-small enclosures that force elephants to stand for years on hard surfaces like concrete and compacted earth and do not allow them the exercise necessary to their health and well-being. Elephants are Earth’s largest land mammals and are genetically designed to walk long distances (miles) each day.
Foot disease and arthritis are the leading cause of euthanasia in captive elephants, prematurely claiming the lives of these magnificent animals decades short of their natural 60-70 year lifespan. Sadly, Pet is soon to join a host of other elephants who have suffered and died prematurely at Association of Zoos and Aquarium (AZA) accredited zoos in the past three years due to foot and/or joint disease. These elephants include: Gita (48) and Tara (39) at the Los Angeles Zoo; Calle (37), Maybelle (44) and Tinkerbelle (39) at the San Francisco Zoo; Toni (39) at the National Zoo; Ginny at San Antonio Zoo (49); Kali at Hogle Zoo (59); Mamie at Knoxville Zoo (43) and Patsy (40) at Toronto Zoo. Another elephant, Clara (52) at the St. Louis Zoo, is soon to follow if drastic and immediate action is not taken.
Oregon Zoo medical records on Pet indicate that she has suffered significant pain for years. She has used her trunk to take weight off her painful right front foot and she lifts her right foot every 30 seconds or so, an indication of pain. Pet has also developed pressure sores from lying on her left side on the hard indoor floor. She has suffered from numerous puncture wounds as a result of aggressive “hooking” with an ankus (bull hook) by keepers trying to get this debilitated elephant to move.
Pet has been on high doses of many kinds of pain medications, including Ibuprofen and Legend. She has been administered butorphenol so frequently that she at times appeared “drugged.”
Elephant expert Michael Schmidt, a former chief veterinarian at Oregon Zoo who specialized in the care of elephants for over 25 years, states in his book Jumbo Ghosts: “Despite all of our exhaustive efforts to keep the elephants alive in the zoo in Portland, we lost four adult elephants to preventable zoo-genic foot disease while I was there.” Schmidt adds, “Zoo-genic foot disease remains the number one source of pain, suffering and premature death for zoo elephants.”
In a letter rushed to Zoo director Tony Vecchio today, IDA is calling on the Zoo to radically change conditions or close the exhibit and send the elephants to a naturalistic sanctuary.