Animal Protection Organization Calls for Federal Investigation Into Health of Maggie the Elephant at Alaska Zoo

San Rafael, California—International animal protection organization In Defense of Animals (IDA) has called on the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) to immediately investigate the Alaska Zoo and assess the condition of Maggie the elephant, after a weekend incident during which Maggie was prone and could not stand back up.

“IDA is concerned that Maggie’s intense and solitary confinement at Alaska Zoo may have caused damage to her feet and/or joints and other problems that put her life in imminent danger,” wrote IDA president Elliot M. Katz, DVM, in a letter to the USDA. “The fact that she went down and could not right herself is a clear sign that something is very wrong.”

IDA asked the USDA to examine Maggie and review her medical records to determine whether she is suffering foot disease, arthritis or colic/digestive disorders, and whether she is being maintained on anti-inflammatory drugs and painkillers. Katz said that these drugs can mask Maggie’s symptoms short term, but can be toxic to her internal organs over the long term.

As a private facility not subject to state open records laws, Alaska Zoo has withheld from the public veterinary records documenting Maggie’s physical condition.

In December 1997, Maggie’s long-time elephant companion, Annabelle, also collapsed and could not right herself. News reports indicate that Annabelle was “so sick with infection in her foot and hurting so badly that she couldn’t stand up anymore.” She was euthanized at age 33, half an elephant’s natural lifespan.

Foot and joint disease in elephants are linked to cramped quarters, lack of exercise and standing on hard surfaces like concrete, often in feces and urine. A 2006 IDA survey of medical records for elephants in 35 U.S. zoos found that 63 percent of elephants suffered from foot disease and 42 percent suffered from arthritis. A quarter of the elephants suffered from colic/digestive problems.

“This is a life and death situation,” Katz concluded. “If Alaska Zoo procrastinates further in transferring Maggie to a sanctuary, the zoo will be responsible for the death of another elephant.”

Katz said that if Maggie is suffering from foot and/or joint disease or other zoo-induced conditions, another winter of confinement in her small concrete stall would almost certainly exacerbate her condition and lead to a painful and early death. He asked the USDA to intervene and force the Alaska Zoo to send Maggie to a sanctuary with the space, climate and conditions elephants need to thrive. A copy of IDA’s letter to the USDA is available upon request.