Stand with In Defense of Animals and Solutionary Species at a protest on World Wildlife Day to inform the public about the deprived lives of Zoo Tampa's elephants, especially its lone male, Sdudla, whose sad plight is why this zoo was named the #9 Worst Zoo for Elephants in 2023.  

The United Nations declared March 3 World Wildlife Day, which is dedicated to saving wild plant and animal species. We invite you to help by spreading the word that elephants, the largest land mammals on Earth, do not belong in a tiny zoo exhibit, bored and depressed for years.

It is time for Zoo Tampa to live up to its mission to "rescue, rehabilitate, and care for animals" and its vision to "protect and preserve wildlife." None of the six elephants at Zoo Tampa were "rescued," in fact, two were captive born, and four, including Sdudla, were captured as toddlers and shipped across the world far from their home and family in Africa to live out their days in a tiny zoo enclosure. As a bull elephant, Sdudla endures an added layer of suffering. Bull elephants undergo a periodic reproductive phase called musth when their hormones are raging, and they experience heightened restlessness and aggression. There is nowhere for Sdudla to go and no way to work off this enormous surge of energy. In the wild, he could roam for miles, vie for female attention, forage on many species of plants and roots, and meet up with other males over watering holes. None of those activities are available to him in the zoo.

Not one of the elephants at Zoo Tampa will be rehabilitated and returned to the wild, the hallmark of true conservation. The only way to protect and preserve wild animals is to support conservation efforts in elephants' home countries of Asia and Africa. Zoos contribute a paltry amount of their profits to fund real conservation in the wild. Instead, they continue to breed and import elephants and force them into lifetimes of incarceration. 

Join the protest and make a difference for these long-suffering elephants and all the wild animals imprisoned at Zoo Tampa.

What: Protest Zoo Tampa on World Wildlife Day

Where: Entrance to Zoo Tampa at Lowry Park, 1101 W Sligh Avenue, Tampa, FL

When: Sunday, March 3, 2:30 p.m. to 5 p.m.

Check out the  Facebook Event Page for more information.

Contact:

• Solutionary Species, Shannon Blair, BeASolutionary@gmail.com 845-891-6437
• In Defense of Animals, Elephant Consultant, Courtney Scott, courtney@idausa.org 503-288-6142