In Defense of Animals Demands Immediate Halt to Shocking Plan & Urges Sanctuary Transfer

PHOENIX, Ariz. (May 2, 2025) — In Defense of Animals has learned of an appalling plan by the Phoenix Zoo to kill Indu, its solitary 59-year-old Asian elephant — and then cut her body in half to remove her from the facility. This shocking act of zoothanasia has sparked outrage from the animal protection organization, which is urgently calling for the zoo to spare Indu’s life and transfer her to a legitimate sanctuary.

“We are horrified by the Phoenix Zoo’s plan to kill Indu and desecrate her body for disposal,” said Fleur Dawes, Communications Director of In Defense of Animals. “Indu has endured decades of isolation and confinement. She deserves the chance to retire in peace — not be executed in secrecy and discarded like trash.”

Indu has been solitary since Reba and Sheena died years ago, confined to a small, barren exhibit with no deep pool and inadequate shade from Arizona’s punishing heat. Earlier this year, the Phoenix Zoo was ranked No. 10 on In Defense of Animals’ 10 Worst Zoos for Elephants in North America. It has contunually failed to provide Indu with the space, stimulation and social companionship that she lacks.

On April 12, 2025, passionate protestors rallied at the Phoenix Zoo to encourage the zoo to retire Indu, delivering a letter signed more than 22,000 times urging the Phoenix Zoo to send Indu to sanctuary. Following its most recent placement on the 10 Worst Zoos list in January, the zoo announced plans to close its elephant exhibit once Indu dies, but has refused to allow her a chance to live free in a sanctuary while she is still alive.

“The Phoenix Zoo should not wait for Indu to die — or worse, actively kill her. Sanctuary should be considered as a humane alternative,” said Courtney Scott, Elephant Consultant for In Defense of Animals. “She still has time to experience the joy of walking on grass, bathing in deep water, and forming bonds with other elephants. Indu’s life matters, and we must give her the dignity she has been denied for far too long.”

In Defense of Animals is urgently calling on the Phoenix Zoo to immediately halt any plans to kill Indu and instead do the right thing by transferring her to a reputable sanctuary.

Members of the public are urged to tell the Phoenix Zoo to send Indu to sanctuary.

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Contacts: 

Courtney Scott, courtney@idausa.org, 503-288-6142
Fleur Dawes, media@idausa.org, 415-879-6879

Phoenix Zoo photos and video (free to use with credit per filename): https://bit.ly/PhoenixWorst24

Watch Indu showing stereotypical stress behavior: https://youtu.be/g8sOjRuDFCo

Watch protestors rally for Indu: https://www.youtube.com/shorts/uyjPlLHQ3g8?feature=share

In Defense of Animals is an international animal protection organization with over 250,000 supporters and a history of fighting for animals, people, and the environment through education and campaigns, as well as hands-on rescue facilities in California, India, South Korea, and rural Mississippi since 1983. www.idausa.org/elephants

The 10 Worst Zoos for Elephants in North America list was first published in 2004, and for the past 20 years, In Defense of Animals has shone a spotlight on zoos that condemn elephants to lifetimes of deprivation, disease, and early death. Over the years, the 10 Worst Zoos list has been featured by hundreds of media outlets, including the Daily Mail, Esquire, and the New York Times and it has garnered the support of celebrities like Bill Maher, Sarah Silverman, Jorja Fox, Moby, Harley Quinn Smith, and Ricky Gervais. Learn how the list is determined and explore two decades of rankings at www.idausa.org/10worstzoos.

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