Date
September 19, 2006
Contact
Catherine Doyle
323-301-5730
Kristie Phelps
757-553-8624
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.
NEW REPORT REVEALS L.A. ZOO ELEPHANT SUFFERED FOR HOURS LONGER THAN ZOO REPORTED
Gita suffered immensely from delay in veterinary care
Los Angeles, Calif.—A new report from In Defense of Animals (IDA) will be revealed at the Los Angeles Zoo Commission meeting on Tuesday, showing that the delay in care for Gita, the 48-year-old elephant who died at Los Angeles Zoo in June, was hours longer than reported by the Zoo and that she suffered considerably due to the delay.
What: L.A. Zoo Commission Meeting
When: Tuesday, September 19, 2006, 10:00 a.m.
Where: L.A. Zoo, Grand Room
The IDA report, based on the statements of two independent veterinarians who reviewed Gita’s necropsy report from the California Animal Health and Food Safety (CAHFS) laboratory, provides an in-depth look at Gita’s severely deteriorated condition at the time of her death and details the extent of her suffering. Gita may have been in the often-fatal “downed” position for 12 to 17 hours – possibly twice as long as originally reported by the Los Angeles Zoo – and she “suffered greatly at the end.”
Report findings include:
- Gita suffered severe to very severe arthritis in both front legs and feet (including the “healed” left foot) and severe arthritis in both back legs, which would have been extremely painful for years.
- Severe arthritis or bacterial toxins from a large, severely infected abscess may have triggered the blood clots that led to cardiac failure.
- Gita’s ailments were zoo-induced, meaning the very environment Gita was held in caused her severe health problems, including lack of space for exercise, hard surfaces like concrete and packed dirt, and unsanitary conditions.
“Far from exonerating the Los Angeles Zoo, the CAHFS report exposes the Zoo’s culpability for Gita’s death,” states IDA representative Catherine Doyle. “While the Zoo consistently – and misleadingly – reported Gita was “fine,” she was actually suffering acutely and her welfare was greatly compromised.”
Elephant advocates had long sought to remove Gita from Los Angeles Zoo. Now the focus is on the surviving female elephant, Ruby, who has been alone since Gita’s death. IDA is urging Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa to send Ruby to an elephant sanctuary instead of another zoo. Ruby was sent to Knoxville Zoo in 2003 and was ordered back to Los Angeles Zoo by then-mayor James Hahn after efforts to integrate her failed.
For more information see www.helpelephants.com. Full report and veterinarian statements are available upon request.