PHOENIX (April 14, 2025) —On Saturday, April 12, passionate protestors rallied at Phoenix Zoo to encourage the zoo to retire Indu, its only elephant, to a reputable sanctuary. Activists gathered near the entrance to the parking lot with signs, leaflets, and boisterous voices to free Indu. They then marched onto the zoo’s property and delivered thousands of signatures on a letter to release Indu, who has been alone for years after the zoo’s other two elephants Reba and Sheena died. 

Indu has to swap her tiny barren yard with the rhino next to her and is now facing another broiling hot summer with insufficient shade or a deep pool to cool off in. The message from the crowd of protestors was clear: it is time to end Indu’s life of isolation and deprivation and send her to a spacious sanctuary with room to roam, plants and trees to forage on and an opportunity to meet elephant friends of her choosing. At the very least, the zoo should, right now, provide adequate shade and better options for cooling off during the above 100-degree summers in Phoenix.

Indu has been incarcerated in zoos since she was torn from her African home at just 1-year-old. She has been at the Phoenix Zoo for 26 years and exhibits profound zoochotic behavior, including swaying and bobbing. The Phoenix Zoo has made In Defense of Animals’ list of the 10 Worst Zoos for Elephants three times including in 2024 for Indu’s sad plight. At 59, Indu is considered old for a zoo elephant, but she can still experience a new lease on life in sanctuary, and begin to heal from her decades in captivity. 

The zoo has announced it will close the exhibit once Indu dies, a significant step that 38 zoos have already made. 

Courtney Scott, Elephant Consultant for In Defense of Animals said, “We are grateful the Phoenix Zoo plans to close its elephant exhibit. But we strongly urge the zoo to do that now and not wait for Indu to die before she has the chance to regain her mental and physical health, and experience her life as a real elephant in a sanctuary designed especially for her needs.” 

Members of the public are urged to continue to call for Indu’s freedom: https://www.idausa.org/campaign/elephants/latest-news/send-phoenix-zoos-solitary-elephant-indu-to-sanctuary-before-its-too-late/

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Contact:

Courtney Scott, courtney@idausa.org, 503-288-6142

Images and Video: https://bit.ly/InduRally

In Defense of Animals is an international animal protection organization with over 250,000 supporters and a 40-year history of defending animals, humans, and the environment through education and campaigns, as well as hands-on rescue facilities throughout the United States, India and South Korea. www.idausa.org/elephants

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