SF City To Establish 15 Acres Minimum Standards For Elephants at Zoo

Landmark Decision Intensifies National Controversy Over Elephants in Zoos

San Francisco, CA - Activists are applauding today's vote by the San Francisco Board of Supervisors to establish minimum standards for elephants in its zoo. This landmark decision makes San Francisco the first U.S. city to recognize that zoo conditions are inadequate to meet elephants' physical and psychological needs. The new standards put American Zoo and Aquarium Association (AZA) requirements to shame and far exceed the current conditions at any U.S. zoo.

The premature deaths of two elephants at the San Francisco Zoo this year heated the evolving national debate over zoos' inability to accommodate the needs of Earth's largest land mammals. Elephants need to walk many miles on soft soil to maintain good foot, joint, and digestive health. Lack of space and exercise in zoos cause elephants to suffer from recurrent foot infections, arthritis, stereotypic behaviors and other captivity-induced health problems.

"While no urban environment can meet the vast space requirements of elephants, the new San Francisco standards are an important first step in forcing the zoo to recognize and address the complex needs of elephants," said Elliot Katz, DVM, president of IDA. "We hope it sparks a national trend of city involvement to force zoos to prioritize the health and well being of animals over business interests."

In June, the San Francisco Board of Supervisors unanimously passed a resolution urging the Zoological Society to send its surviving elephants, Tinkerbelle and Lulu, to the Performing Animal Welfare Society (PAWS) sanctuary in San Andreas. The decision acknowledged that zoo conditions were responsible for the deteriorating health of the elephants. The Board's new standards seek to avoid a repeat of captivity-induced suffering and deaths.

The landmark ordinance comes on the heels of the Detroit Zoo's decision to send two elephants at the Detroit Zoo to a sanctuary. Under mounting pressure, the AZA reversed its opposition to the Detroit plan, but continues to threaten the San Francisco Zoo with loss of accreditation over its elephant transfer.

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