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Justice for LeLe; Save YaYa! Memphis Zoo Must Acknowledge Its Crimes Against Giant Pandas

Justice for LeLe; Save YaYa! Memphis Zoo Must Acknowledge Its Crimes Against Giant Pandas

This alert is no longer active, but here for reference. Animals still need your help.

Unbeknownst to the Memphis Zoo's giant pandas YaYa and LeLe, many thousands of people around the world have advocated for them to be returned to China over concerns about their health. These efforts were successful, with the zoo announcing they would be sent home this spring, but LeLe tragically passed away earlier this month. Urge stakeholders from the local to the international level to take steps to get justice for LeLe and return YaYa before it's too late for her too.

While everyone else was noticing what was happening to the giant pandas' health, the zoo was either blind and oblivious, or deceitful. When asked about LeLe's health during a press conference after announcing his death on February 3, a staff member said, “We saw no indication that would lead us to believe there is anything wrong with LeLe.” When a journalist asked the zoo about the concerns raised by In Defense of Animals and Panda Voices about LeLe's recent lack of appetite, weakness, and collapse on January 25, the zoo stated that LeLe “was just being silly,” “he acts dramatically,” and “he was simply lying down.”

When Memphis Zoo said there was no indication there was anything wrong with LeLe, it was either that its staff really did not notice, which is in itself extremely worrisome, given that they are supposed to oversee the health of the animals in their charge, or they were not being transparent. Memphis Zoo staff seems to be so used to the pandas being passive and begging for food that even LeLe's dangerous health symptoms appeared normal, or worse, “dramatic” or “silly” to them, as they described.

Videos recorded on January 15, January 25, and the last day of his life on January 31, show that LeLe was obviously very weak, eating too little, and that he found nothing palatable around him. He fell to the floor and slept. Despite being terribly weak, he still tried to beg for food. If the zoo was really watching its cams (staff claimed in the press conference that the pandas are always being monitored either physically or by cam), staff should have seen several indications that LeLe was unwell. Another video recorded on September 29, 2022, shows LeLe as lethargic and having severe diarrhea, which raises questions as to whether his health problems started months ago and escalated in January, culminating in his emaciated, weak, and skinny appearance, and ultimately, his death.

In Defense of Animals

Since mid-January, Panda Voices extensively posted observations of his declining health on its social media platforms in a bid to alert Memphis Zoo. On January 30, In Defense of Animals alerted the media about LeLe's health, and asked the zoo to urgently act and investigate his condition.

It is important to note that long before LeLe's deterioration in mid-January, thousands of panda fans all over the world, In Defense of Animals and Panda Voices and even the famous pop singer Billie Eilish have called for improving YaYa and LeLe's care and returning them to China.

Concerns were raised regarding the pandas being underweight, LeLe's broken teeth, YaYa's parasite infection, the low quality and small quantity of the zoo's bamboo, the lack of a variety of supplement food and the obvious signs of stereotypical behaviors both pandas have demonstrated. Besides their poor health, the fact that Memphis Zoo has only one outdoor yard for two pandas is a significant problem for their well-being. As adult pandas are solitary animals, they must take turns using the outside yard and because the zoo does not alternate them consistently throughout the day, they do not have daily access to larger outdoor areas. In one documented period, YaYa was only allowed outdoors four times in a four-week period.

It is obvious that Memphis Zoo lacks the infrastructure and expertise needed to host pandas. It failed to provide the best treatment for YaYa and LeLe and to ensure the necessary aspects for their well-being. Its lack of transparency with the public, ambiguous statements, and the concerning reports from local people reinforce the obvious understanding that this zoo should not be allowed to exhibit more giant pandas. This is not the experience China wants foreign people to have with these precious animals who are considered Chinese national treasures.

LeLe died due to the zoo's blatant neglect and lack of care. Memphis Zoo needs to be held accountable and must reveal all of LeLe's medical records and his cause of death to the public. It must also send YaYa back to China before her health worsens.

Panda supporters are asking the Chinese authorities and the Association of Zoos & Aquariums (AZA) to push Memphis Zoo to improve YaYa's diet, nutrition, and care, and take action to return her before another tragedy occurs. Authorities are also being urged to review all the observations and recordings from animal advocates worldwide, identify LeLe's cause of death, and look into Memphis Zoo's blatant neglect regarding the health of its animals.

Chinese authorities are being urged to put the interests and welfare of pandas first by not sending more to Memphis Zoo once YaYa departs. No panda deserves to face the suffering that YaYa and LeLe experienced for the last 20 years. Considering all the bureaucracy involved in the transportation of YaYa and LeLe's body back to China, we are also requesting that the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and Tennessee senators Marsha Blackburn and Bill Hagerty act urgently in this matter and approve all the necessary documents for YaYa's and LeLe's return to their homeland as soon as possible. We also request that they closely follow and monitor the investigation about LeLe's tragic passing and demand the zoo provide transparent answers about the real cause of his death and answer why Memphis Zoo ignored all the concerns and communications of animal advocates regarding Lele's deterioration since mid-January.

 

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