IDA Charges Inadequate Zoo Conditions Claimed Another Elephant’s Life

Birmingham Zoo’s Mona is Eleventh Zoo Elephant to Die in Last 18 Months

Birmingham, Ala. – In Defense of Animals (IDA) charged today that inadequate conditions at the Birmingham Zoo are implicated in this morning’s death of Mona, a 56-year-old Asian elephant who had lived at the zoo for more than fifty years.

"For decades, Mona lived at Birmingham Zoo, walking endless circles in her tiny, antiquated exhibit where she spent the last two and half years of her life all alone," said IDA President Elliot M. Katz, DVM, noting that Mona’s companion Susie died in 2005. "She is the latest victim of a zoo industry in denial about the needless suffering and deaths of elephants caused by woefully inadequate zoo conditions."

Mona is the eleventh elephant to die at an Association of Zoos and Aquariums (AZA)-accredited zoo since January 2006 and the third elephant to die at a U.S. zoo this month. Eight of those elephants are known to have suffered from foot and/or joint disease. Although the Birmingham Zoo has declined to publicly release Mona’s medical records, she was consistently observed walking stiffly, a possible sign of arthritis in elephants, and was reported to have worn her foot pads thin. Her companion Susie suffered from arthritis prior to her death.

Katz said that foot disease and arthritis are the leading causes of euthanasia of elephants in zoos.

"Traditional zoo exhibits, which confine elephants to a few acres or less, are completely inadequate for earth’s largest land mammal, which in the wild can walk ten or more miles a day," Katz said. "Lack of space in zoos prevents adequate movement and forces elephants to stand on unyielding surfaces like concrete and compacted soil, wreaking havoc on elephants’ feet and joints."

"How many more elephants have to die before the zoo industry comes to terms with the fact that inadequate zoo conditions are causing elephants to suffer and die prematurely?" Katz concluded.

IDA is an international animal protection organization based in San Rafael, Calif. For more information on IDA’s elephant campaign, please visit www.helpelephants.com.