One-year Anniversary of Gita the Elephant’s Death Sunday

IDA Plans Memorial at L.A. Zoo

Los Angeles, Calif.—Elephant lovers and members of In Defense of Animals (IDA) will gather Sunday at Los Angeles Zoo to memorialize the one-year anniversary of the death of Gita, the 48-year old Indian elephant who suffered for years from painful chronic foot disease and arthritis that were a direct result of inadequate zoo conditions. Gita was the second elephant to die in less than two years from zoo-induced health problems at L.A. Zoo. After sustained public outcry, Gita’s long-time companion Ruby, an African elephant, was sent to the PAWS sanctuary in California last month.

WHAT: Memorial to observe one-year anniversary of Gita’s death
WHEN: Sunday, June 10, 2007, 11:00 a.m. – 1:00 p.m.
WHERE: L.A. Zoo, in front of main entrance

Gita died after collapsing on the evening of June 9, 2006 and being unable to rise for as long as 17 hours. The zoo first reported that personnel did not discover Gita in a “downed” position until the morning of June 10. It was later revealed that zoo personnel first observed Gita down sometime before midnight on the evening prior to her death, at least five hours before veterinarians were alerted to her condition.

“We will gather Sunday to remember Gita and the suffering she endured at the hands of the L.A. Zoo,” said Catherine Doyle of IDA. “On this anniversary of her premature death, we reiterate our commitment to ensure that no more elephants suffer and die in the City of Los Angeles.”

Doyle vowed to continue to fight the zoo’s plans to build a new 3.5-acre, $40 million elephant exhibit. The new exhibit, which could house up to ten elephants, will still not provide the space and natural conditions that elephants need to survive, Doyle said.

Gita was taken from her family in India in 1959 and put on exhibit at L.A. Zoo when she was just a baby. She spent the last 2-1/2 years of her life in an off-exhibit enclosure at L.A. Zoo, standing on concrete flooring in the barn, which exacerbated her joint and foot disease – conditions that are frequently lethal to elephants in zoos.

Gita’s plight became a centerpiece in the national debate about the ability of zoos to provide for the vast spatial and social needs of elephants, Earth’s largest land mammal.

In December 2004, 39-year-old Tara died at L.A. Zoo after being found collapsed in her enclosure, much like Gita last year. Tara had also suffered chronic and debilitating arthritis for years prior to her death, a direct result of inadequate zoo conditions. Asian elephants in the wild are known to reproduce into their 50s and have a natural lifespan of 70 years.

“How many more elephants have to die before L.A. Zoo recognizes that it cannot meet the needs of elephants?” asked Doyle. “We are calling on the zoo and the Mayor to abandon all plans to construct a new elephant exhibit and send Billy—the zoo’s sole remaining elephant —to a sanctuary like the PAWS facility where Ruby currently thrives.”

For more information, please visit www.helpelephants.com.