Alaska Zoo Board Endangering Maggie the Elephant's Life, IDA Warns

Organization Calls on USDA to Confiscate Imperiled Pachyderm

San Rafael, Calif.—In Defense of Animals (IDA) is calling on the U.S. Department of Agriculture to remove Maggie from Alaska Zoo. In a letter to the USDA, IDA charged that the Zoo board is endangering Maggie¹s life by unnecessarily prolonging the process for selecting a new home for the beleaguered elephant. The longer the board delays, the more likely that Maggie will be forced to spend another long winter of intense confinement at the Zoo, IDA said.

"It is imperative that Maggie be moved before winter sets in, provided she is in stable condition," wrote IDA President Elliot M. Katz, DVM. "Maggie's winter confinement causes exceptional distress and suffering each year, to the point that she experiences significant physical and mental deterioration. After this last winter, Maggie displayed the most severe deterioration yet, and it is reasonable to assume that another winter will take a terrible, and potentially fatal, toll on her."

Maggie is forced to spend the cold half of the year on concrete flooring in a 1600-square-foot pen, with part of that space taken up by the large treadmill that she has never used.

Although the Zoo board is set to meet in early August, it is not expected to make a decision on Maggie¹s future. Rather, it will be accepting a list of "six or fewer finalists," presumably subject to more lengthy review before a choice is made. This is in spite of the fact that the Board went through virtually the same review process in 2003-2004 when it investigated options for Maggie¹s transfer.

"There is no excuse for the Zoo board's slow pace in selecting a new home for Maggie, especially considering that it has already been through this process once," stated Katz. He cited a 2004 Alaska Zoo report that documented a year-long process during which the Zoo had researched and even contacted potential facilities for Maggie, using selection standards identical to the current criteria.

"It is time for the USDA to confiscate this elephant," Katz concluded.

Evidence cited in IDA's letter to support confiscation involves the Zoo's admitted failure to provide basic health management, which is a violation of the Animal Welfare Act, and its inability to provide adequate care for Maggie, including lack of appropriate social and physical conditions.

IDA is urging the USDA to bring in veterinarians to assess Maggie, then immediately move her, if her health is stable, to one of the two U.S. sanctuaries that have offered to accept and transport Maggie at no cost to the Alaska Zoo.

A copy of IDA's letter to the USDA is available upon request. For more information, please visit www.helpelephantsinzoos.org.