Elephant Death At Dallas Zoo Prompts Call To Close Exhibit

In Defense of Animals urges transfer of surviving elephant Jenny to sanctuary

San Rafael, Calif.—The Dallas Zoo should permanently close its elephant exhibit and send its surviving elephant, Jenny, to an elephant sanctuary, In Defense of Animals (IDA) said today in a letter to Dallas Mayor Tom Leppert. The appeal was prompted by the death yesterday of the 39-year-old African elephant Keke, who suffered from a lethal intestinal disorder (colic).

“We share your city’s sorrow at the tragic death of Keke. While it’s too late for Keke, it’s not too late for the City of Dallas to do the right thing for Jenny by sending her to an elephant sanctuary,” said IDA president Elliot M. Katz, DVM. “Dallas Zoo simply does not have the space or conditions necessary to provide elephants, Earth’s largest land mammals, with a good quality of life. The zoo’s elephant exhibit should be permanently closed.”

Keke had suffered repeated bouts of colic for many years. She chronically ingested rocks and soil, which can cause an intestinal obstruction that leads to the condition.

“It isn’t natural for elephants to habitually eat rocks,” explained Les Schobert, a former curator at the Los Angeles Zoo and the North Carolina Zoo. “This type of behavior is fostered by small, unnatural zoo environments, where elephants are stressed, bored and often develop abnormal, and in this case, fatal behaviors.”

According to zoo veterinary records, elephants at the Dallas Zoo have suffered a variety of zoo-induced health problems, including foot disorders, infertility, aggression and abnormal behaviors. (The records can be viewed on-line at IDA’s web site, www.helpelephants.com/records.)

The zoo’s remaining elephant, 31-year-old Jenny, has a long history of emotional problems, including two months of “isolation depression” after her companion Vasha was transferred to Disney for breeding in 2000. Jenny was medicated with the tranquilizer Acepromazine between 1996 and 2001 because of aggression and extreme self-mutilating behaviors. Federal regulators characterized Jenny’s long-term treatment with this Thorazine-like drug as “highly unconventional.”

Although at 39 Keke was considered older by zoo standards, African elephants in the wild are known to reproduce into their 50s and live into their 60s. In contrast, North American zoos report an alarmingly low life expectancy of 33 years. Sixteen U.S. zoos have closed or plan to close their elephant exhibits. Last year, zoos in Los Angeles, Anchorage and Philadelphia joined a growing list of zoos that have opted to send elephants to sanctuaries.

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