April 2005, May 2005, June 2005, July 2005, August 2005 - monthly demonstrations at the Philly Zoo after it was learned that the Zoo planned to spend $22 million to build a 2.5 acre elephant exhibit to house up to ten elephants, including bulls.

September 18, 2005 - Philadelphia Zoo Demonstrations, 11:00 am to 1:00 pm, Main Entrance, 34th Street and Girard Avenue

September 22, 23, 24, 25, 2005 - Demonstration Blitz for Elephant Appreciation Day.  During a demonstration, we discover that Dulary is being held in isolation after being injured during an altercation with Bette.

10/2 UPDATE:  Beginning October 2, 2005, we will be making daily visits to the zoo to check on the elephants.

October 2, 2005 - Zoo visit - Across from the elephant exhibit was a woman zoo employee displaying tiger/animal pelts on a folding table to a family of zoo visitors. I pointed to the elephant exhibit and asked her the whereabouts of the fourth elephant. She seemed to not want to answer, then I told her that I heard she was injured from another elephant in the exhibit and was concerned about the elephant. Then she said that "Dulary is fine and that she was injured in the eye but is recovering". I asked her how she got injured and she said that "like animals in the wild they will fight for dominance". I asked her when she thought Dulary got injured. She said she believed it was "back in June". 

She said Dulary was "in the barn and recovering" even though she had not seen her for herself. I told her that it seemed that Dulary had been in the barn for a long time and how would she get exercise, and move around. Then she said that "Dulary takes turns with the other elephants and comes out on the exhibit while the other elephants go into the barn".

October 3, 2005 - Zoo visit -  We arrived at the Philly Zoo today approximately 15 minutes before closing (4:45 pm).  Dulary was not in the elephant exhibit and a sign on the "Asian Elephant" placard stated "Elephants off exhibit today.  Sorry for the inconvenience." 

Petal spent a lot of time at the right gate and did some bobbing and weaving. She also raised and lowered her front legs, alternating her weight on them as though it were painful to rest all of her weight on one foot for any length of time.  Kallie and Bette also each raised and lowered their front and back legs, sometimes swaying slightly while standing in one spot. 

We counted ten large piles of feces.  There were no toys in the exhibit. 

A zoo worker approached in the Rhino exhibit next door to the elephant exhibit and we asked her if she knew anything about the elephant exhibit.  She did not, but agreed to try to find someone from the elephant exhibit although she said "it is late, almost closing time, so they might not be available."  We asked her to try anyway.

About seven minutes later, Sheldon Lightfoot, Director of Public Safety, drove up in a cart with another zoo worker driving the cart.  We asked him if we could speak to someone about the elephant exhibit, and the driver said he would send someone out to speak with us.About five minutes later, Gretchen Toner, Vice President of Communications, and an accomplice (we did not get her name) arrived.   Upon questioning, Gretchen said that Dulary had injured her eye area in a "pushing incident with another elephant" at the end of August.  She did not know which African elephant was involved in the incident, and the incident occured in the outside enclosure.  Gretchen said that Dulary has been confined in the barn since the incident, which means that Dulary has not been outside of the barn for nearly six weeks.   According to Gretchen, Dulary is "recovering nicely," but she does not know when Dulary will be allowed outside of the barn - the "vet would know," and Gretchen asked us to email her if we wanted any information from the vet.  Gretchen also did not know if Dulary was chained inside the barn, but "the vet would know" that as well.  We asked if we could see Dulary, and Gretchen said no - no visitors allowed.  When asked why not, Gretchen said it was for Dulary's well being - she could not be "disturbed."  Apparently eyes peering through a barrier would "disturb" Dulary, even though Dulary has been ogled by millions of eyes throughout her life on display at the zoo.  We had more questions, but Gretchen refused to answer them, stating "the Zoo is closed" (it was 5:07 pm and the zoo closes at 5:00 pm) and then she and her accomplice walked off.

October 4, 2005 - Zoo visit - 12:30 pm - Dulary was not in the exhibit.  We filmed Kallie, Bette and Petal for several minutes standing in one place.  They looked listless and bored.  A metal container, apparently containing food or previously containing food, was chained in the middle of the yard, but none of the elephants approached it while we were there.   No toys in the yard. 

October 5, 2005, Zoo Visit - Dulary was not in the exhibit.  We filmed Petal and Kallie standing in place for over five minutes.  No toys in the exhibit.   Petal was trying to eat some hay that had been mixed with a big pile of feces, she was trying to avoid the feces but it was difficult because it was all mixed together.  Question for Philly Zoo - Isn't there any way to keep the elephants' food separate from the elephants' feces?

October 6, 2005 - Demonstration - Philadelphia Zoo, 11:00 am to 1:00 pm, Main Entrance, 34th Street and Girard Avenue

October 6, 2005 - Zoo Visit - Dulary was not in the exhibit.  We watched Kallie, Bette, and Petal stand around for about 15- 20 minutes. 

We filmed Petal bobbing and swaying for over five minutes straight.  She continued to bob and sway the entire time we were there and was still bobbing and swaying when we left.  Kim Lengel, the senior curator of mammals at the zoo, apparently does not spend much time observing the elephants because she recently claimed the elephants do not bob and sway. ("Lengel said they do not bob and sway, behaviors that indicate that the psychologically complex creatures are in distress."  Elephant Turf at Zoo Sparking a Fight, Philadelphia Inquirer, September 22, 2005.) 

We counted eight large piles of feces.  Some of the feces was mixed together with the hay again.  There was a metal container chained to the middle of the exhibit as well as the tire toy that we have seen before.   None of the elephants approached either item while we were there.

October 6, 2005 - Email from a Zoo Docent about Dulary -  click here

October 7, 2005 - Zoo Visit - 12:15 pm - Dulary was not in the exhibit.  There were no toys in the exhibit.  Kallie stood blocking the entrance of the pool and Petal came over and put her trunk in Kallie's mouth.  Kallie then moved back and allowed Petal to move forward, but Petal did not go in the pool.  Kallie stood for about a minute with her right front foot raised.  We filmed close-ups of Kallie's and Petal's feet.

October 8, 2005 - Zoo Visit - 12:30 pm - Dulary was not in the exhibit.  Petal was in the pond.  Kallie and Bette were standing outside the pond watching Petal.  Bette rested her trunk on her tusks for a few minutes.  Very cute.  While she was in the pond, Petal ate some leaves lying on the ground.  She tried to reach some delicious looking grasses a few inches outside of the pond, but her trunk was not long enough to reach them and instead she swept up dirt.

There was a large tire chained in the middle of the exhibit.  None of the elephants touched the tire while we were there.

We watched the elephants for about fifteen minutes, much longer than any other zoogoers, who watched for a few minutes and then moved on to the next exhibit.  This has been true every day we have visited Kallie, Bette and Petal - no matter how long we have stood there - even as short as ten minutes - we have been the zoo goers watching the longest.  One wonders how well one can be "educated" on these magnificent creatures if the longest time one watches them is two to three minutes.

October 9, 2005 - Philadelphia Zoo Demonstration, 10:30 am to 1:30 pm, Main Entrance, 34th Street and Girard Avenue

October 9, 2005- Zoo Visit - 1:30 pm - Dulary was not in the exhibit.  We filmed the elephants for about 15 - 20 minutes.   Petal leaned against the concrete barn with her right back leg propped up, as if she were in pain.

Bette stood lifting and raising her right front leg, as though it were painful.  All of the elephants appeared lethargic. 

There was a metal container chained to the middle of the exhibit.  None of the elephants approached it while we were there.  There were four large piles of feces in the exhibit.  The hay was mixed with a pile of feces again.  The Philly Zoo workers apparently put hay in the small area shaded by the barn, which is a prime spot for the elephants to stand and defecate.  In the wild, elephants would not be standing and eating near their own feces, as they are nearly constantly on the move, roaming up to 30 miles a day.  

October 10, 2005 - Zoo Visit - 3:00 pm - Dulary was not in the exhibit.   Petal propped her leg against the stone wall for a few minutes.  Kallie and Bette stood in place most of the time we were there, although Bette moved a few feet.

There was a log in the exhibit, but none of the elephants approached it while we were there.  We counted seven piles of feces.  The hay was mixed in with the feces again.  Once again, although we were at the elephant exhibit for just 15 minutes, we were there much longer than anyone else.  The average time of a zoogoer's visit to the elephant exhibit appears to be two to three minutes, sometimes even less.

The Rhino next door was standing facing his barn again and bobbing and weaving.  We filmed her bobbing and weaving for five minutes, and then ran out of tape.  She was still bobbing and weaving when we left.

October 11, 2005 - Zoo Visit- 4:30 pm - None of the elephants was in the exhibit when we arrived around 4:30 pm.  We asked a zooworker in the Rhino exhibit (the Rhino was not out in his exhibit either) where the elephants were, and she said "They're inside for dinner.....sorry!  

It was raining very lightly out, but unseasonably warm - 65 degrees - and very pleasant. 

The zoo has stated that the elephants are kept in the cement barn in "off hours" which apparently begin at around 5:00 pm (and earlier on rainy days?) and last until the next morning's opening, approximately 9:00 am.  Thus, the elephants must be in the cement barn for 16 hours, or over 60% of each day. 

October 12, 2005 - Zoo Visit - 4:30 pm -  There were no elephants in the exhibit.  The zoo was deserted, though it was not raining and very pleasant - about 65 degrees.  Apparently the zoo puts the animals inside when there are few patrons there to see them, regardless of the weather.

October 13, 2005 - Zoo Visit - 3:00 pm - Dulary was not in the exhibit.  Kallie was banging around two metal containers that apparently once contained food.  She continued to work on them the entire time we were there - not willing to give up or perhaps just bored.  Bette and Petal were standing around.  It was raining lightly and about 62 degrees.  The zoo was quite crowded - several buses of schoolchildren and others.

10/14 UPDATE:  The Zoo has finally publicly admitted that Dulary is seriously injured and in seclusion indefinitely, and we will no longer visit the Zoo daily to confirm that Dulary is absent from the exhibit (in an apparent attempt to mislead the public and hide the truth-which we still don't know since the Zoo won't allow anyone in to see Dulary nor review her medical records - some Zoo employees were telling zoogoers that Dulary was allowed out in the yard at times when the other elephants were in the barn; another Zoo employee claimed Dulary was in the exhibit - coincidentally, just on days we didn't visit; and a Zoo docent emailed that the wounds were "minor" and "not serious").  We will continue to regularly visit the Zoo,  from 3 to 5 times each week.  Please check the calendar for updates.

October 16, 2005, Philadelphia Zoo Demonstration - Update, 10:00 am to 1:00 pm

Main Entrance, 34th Street and Girard Avenue

Approximately halfway through the demonstration, two uniformed Philadelphia police officers - one male and one female -  approached us and asked us what we were doing.   We referred the uniformed officers to the Civil Affairs officers sitting in their car approximately 100 feet away, who had been present at the demonstration from the beginning.  The Philadelphia Civil Affairs unit is described as follows on the division's website:  "Specific objectives include securing any demonstrators' right to communicate their grievance, complaint or protest or to advocate their idea or position, as well as preserving the rights of the individual, organization or business being demonstrated against."  http://www.ppdonline.org/hq_profile_civilaffairs.php

The unifomed officers ignored the Civil Affairs unit sitting 100 feet away and the female police officer said to us, "Well, WE'RE talking to you now."   One of the activists explained that we were demonstrating, and the officers eventually walked away.  Before they left, we asked them if someone had complained.  The female police officer heard us, looked at us, and walked away.  The male police officer responded, but only after an activist followed them and repeated the question twice. He told us that "a vendor" had complained.  Apparently vendors are allowed to sell their wares at a certain distance from the Zoo.    A few minutes later, the uniformed police officers approached the Civil Affairs unit.  The activists remarked amongst themselves about how arrogantly the female officer had behaved.  

This incident was confusing to the activists because the Civil Affairs unit has claimed that it represents the Philadelphia Police Department at demonstrations.  Isn't it waste of taxpayer's money to have TWO Civil Affairs officers present (as well as a sergeant at times, like today) AND have TWO uniformed officers at the same demonstration, particularly when the demonstration consists of a handful of demonstrators who have been demonstrating at the same place dozens of times without incident, and often in the presence of Civil Affairs? 

October 16, 2005 - Zoo Visit - 1:30 pm - Dulary was not in the exhibit.  We filmed Petal, Kallie and Bette standing in one place for close to ten minutes.  There were no toys in the exhibit, but there were seven large piles of feces.  A zoo employee followed us into the zoo and stood behind us the entire time we were in the zoo.  We filmed him for a few minutes.

October 19, 2005 - Zoo Visit - 1:30 pm - Dulary was not in the exhibit.  We filmed Petal, Kallie and Bette standing around for about 20 minutes.  Once again, the elephants' hay was mixed with several large piles of feces.

There were no toys in the exhibit. 

We asked a zoo employee standing outside of the elephant exhibit where Dulary was.   He told us she was recovering from an eye injury.  He explained that Bette and Dulary got along very well and were affectionately entwining trunks when Bette's tusks accidently injured Dulary.  This "story" is contrary to the explanations told by others at the zoo, including the vice president of communications, Gretchen Toner, who has said that Bette and Dulary were involved in a pushing incident, and  Andy Baker, the zoo's senior vice president for animal programs, who explained the injury as arising from "behavioral issues" among the elephants. 

We also asked the employee if Dulary was kept separate from the other elephants.  He first claimed that Dulary was kept in her own separate area, but when asked where that could be since we were told the barn has only two stalls, he claimed he didn't know where she was being kept.

Another zoo employee told us that all of the elephants have gotten along for "years."  When asked how this was possible when Kallie and Bette only moved to the Zoo in April 2004, she claimed that Kallie and Bette used to be brought to the Zoo on a temporary basis to give rides to people and Kallie and Bette got to know Petal and Dulary during those times.  She claimed Kallie and Bette's owner used to take them "down to Florida" during the winter.

October 21, 2005 - Zoo Visiit- 2:00 pm - Dulary was not in the exhibit.  It is reported that the Zoo is monitoring Dulary's kidney function for problems arising from the use of antibiotics.   Kallie, Bette and Petal stood around.  There was a metal cylinder in the exhibit and multiple piles of feces. 

October 23, 2005 - 10:00 am - Philadelphia Zoo Demonstration, 10:30 am to 1:30 pm,

Main Entrance, 34th Street and Girard Avenue

After the demonstration, we visited Petal, Kallie and Bette.  Dulary was not in the exhibit.  There were three feeder cylinders in the exhibit and a tire toy (the most items we have ever seen in the exhibit at one time).  

When we arrived, Channel 29 News reporter, Robin Taylor, was interviewing zoo director Pete Hoskins.  Later that night, we watched the televised report and noticed that one of the zoo patrons featured in the story, who was seemingly picked at random to be interviewed -  John Holmes,  interviewed along with his daughter Katie - was someone who had seemed to know Gretchen Toner, the Zoo's vice president of communications, prior to the filming.

We listened to part of the interview with Mr. Hoskins (it did not make the broadcast) and noted the following misleading information Mr. Hoskins provided to Ms. Taylor:

1.  ZOO CLAIM:  When asked whether the mixing of the African and Asian species of elephants may have contributed to the incident between Bette (an African elephant) and Dulary (an Asian elephant), Mr. Hoskins stated unequivocally "no."  He said that the elephants had gotten along for "years" and that there had been no problems between any of the elephants prior to the incident - in fact, Dulary got along "very well" with the younger elephants ever since they moved to the Zoo last year.

REALITY:  It is reported that Dulary was separated from the other elephants at least once weeks before her August 30 injury because of behavioral problems between the elephants.  Please read this review of a visit to the zoo by a zoogoer from earlier this summer. http://www.northeasttimes.com/2005/0804/kids.html  "The day I visited the zoo, the Asian elephant was not out because of a disagreement with another elephant."  Date of publication:  August 4, 2005.

2.  ZOO CLAIM:  Hoskins clamed the only reason African and Asian species are kept apart in zoos is for breeding programs.

REALITY:  According to Section 3.2.13 of American Zoo and Aquarium Association's Standards for Elephant Management and Care, "When forming new herds, Asian and African elephants should not be placed together in the same enclosure.  Herpes viruses endemic to one species can be fatal in the other (Richman et al. 1996, 1999).  In addition, there is concern that behavioral differences between the two species may lead to problems with dominance and aggression (Hutchins and Smith 1999)." (emphasis added).  http://www.aza.org/AboutAZA/BRDAppPolicies/documents/ElephantStandards.pdf

3.  ZOO CLAIM:  When asked about the natural lifespan of elephants, Hoskins claimed that elephants in the wild generally live to be 55 to 60 years old, tops.  He said a 70-year-old elephant is relatively rare - the equivalent to a 100-year-old human.

REALITY:  "The average life span of an elephant is about 70 years." (emphasis added). http://elephant.elehost.com/About_Elephants/Life_Cycles/Adult/adult.html  We were unable to find any support for Mr. Hoskins' claim that a 70-year-old elephant is similar to a 100-year-old human.  (Statistics vary, but most statistics allow that less than one tenth of one percent of humans live to be 100 years of age.  We were unable to find any source supporting Mr. Hoskins' claim that a 70-year-elephant is equally rare).

4.  ZOO CLAIM:  When asked about the foot and joint health of the elephants, Mr. Hoskins claimed that the Philadelphia Zoo elephants are healthy because they are "displaying no symptoms of any problems."

REALITY:  Despite requests from local animal advocacy groups, the Zoo refuses to provide medical records so it impossible to know if any or all of the elephants suffer from common captivity-induced ailments such as foot and joint problems, arthritis, lameness, and foot abscesses.  These health problems are often masked with the regular use of painkillers, anti-inflammatory and other drugs.

October 27, 2005 - Zoo Visit - 1:00 pm.  Dulary was not in the exhibit.  There were no toys in the exhibit.  There were seven large piles of feces, some piles mixed with hay.   We filmed Kallie, Bette, and Petal standing around for around ten minutes.   As always, although we only watched the elephants for less than fifteen minutes, we watched much longer than any other zoo visitor.

October 30, 2005  - Zoo visit  1:40PM (about 1/2hr.) Dulary was not in the exhibit.  Petal, Kallie and Bette were just standing against and close to the barn wall. Petal was eating hay right near a pile of feces.   We saw at least seven pile of feces all around the exhibit. There were no cylinder toys.

Then either Bette walked over to the stone fence that divides the elephant and rhino exhibit. For about 12 minutes she stretched her body and head forward and leaned over the stone fence as far as she can into the rhino exhibit. She peered into the rhino exhibit, and then peered down and
reached down with her trunk towards the ground below. Then several times she reached out with her trunk towards the tree about 15' away in the rhino exhibit (no trees are in the elephant exhibit). All this
time she is reaching and stretching towards the rhinos exhibit.   She then takes a few steps down to the base of the pond and appears to take a few sips of water.

Then a zoo keeper threw out a cylinder toy and either Bette or Kallie took  the toy away while the other elephants follow behind. Shortly after a zoo keeper threw out a few tree branches with leaves and within minutes the elephants have eaten up the leaves.

November 4, 2005 - Zoo Visit - 4:15 pm  - Dulary was not in the exhibit.  We counted eight large piles of feces.

Petal, Kallie and Bette were all standing crowded near the gate to the barn, where the door was open but the gate was not. A few minutes later, two zookeepers came out, both holding bullhooks and walking briskly. The zookeepers herded Petal, Kallie and Bette away from the gate and against the wall of the barn (sort of like a police line up) and when the elephants didn't move fast enough, jabbed them on the trunks and legs.  We  felt like we were watching Ringling with its elephants. When the elephants were all lined up, the two keepers led them quickly into the barn. This was at 4:20 pm on a beautiful day. The elephants will now spend the next16 hours inside the barn.

November 5, 2005 - Philadelphia Zoo Demonstration - 12:00 Noon to 2:00 pm

We arrived at the Zoo at around noon.  It was very crowded and there was no place to park, so we parked near the front of the Zoo (where we have parked multiple times to load and unload) to unload our signs and supplies.  A Zoo employee came running over and shouted at us to move our car.  We explained that we were unloading and we would move in a few minutes.  We continued to unload. 

The Zoo employee then called for reinforcements and "Kenneth" showed up.  (Read more about "Kenneth" in our October 2, 2005 entry.)  "Kenneth" told us we had to move our car immediately.  Because other cars were also parked in front of the Zoo, we asked "Kenneth" why we had to move our car but no one else had to move.  A woman from a car parked in the street in front of us ran over to our camera (we were filming the entire time) and put her face within inches of the camera and shouted "BECAUSE HE HAS ASTHMA".  We then filmed "Kenneth" calling the police and advising them that we were "harrassing zoo guests".  We were finished unloading at that point so we moved our car.  When we returned, "Kenneth" had moved one of our large signs, claiming the sign was damaging the tree to which it was tied.  We replaced the sign (we have tied the sign to that tree numerous times in the past, in full view of Zoo employees and Philadelphia police officers).  "Kenneth" shouted that the sign was "damaging the tree," and that he would remove it.  He shouted to another Zoo employee, "THAT SIGN IS DAMAGING THE TREE, ISN'T IT".  Rather than allow "Kenneth" to continue to distract us and prevent Zoo patrons from learning about the reality of the life of a zoo elephant, we filmed the sign tied around the tree (in case "Kenneth" filed a complaint against us for "tree damage" )and then moved the sign to a location closer to the passing Zoo patrons.  We also videotaped "Kenneth" shouting to the family that had been unloading their car in front of us that we (the Zoo) "need your name for the complaint we are filng against (the activist.)"  

About fifteen minutes later, Civil Affairs officers showed up and asked us what had happened.  We told them about "Kenneth's" behavior and advised that we had the entire incident on tape.  The officers asked to view the tape, stating that the Zoo was claiming that we had been harassing customers.  We played the tape for the officers, and they said they did not see any criminal behavior from the activist as "Kenneth" had alleged.  We did not ask the officers if "Kenneth" had committed a crime by lying to the police and claiming the activists were harassing customers, mainly because we already know that it *is* illegal, and we are considering legal action against the Zoo and "Kenneth."

It is unknown when "Kenneth" is going to file his complaint against us. 

November 5 2005 - Zoo Visit - 4:20 pm -  Dulary was not in the exhibit.  At 4:30 PM, Petal, Kallie and Bette were herded into the barn by two keepers wielding bullhooks.  They will spend the next 16 hours in the concrete barn.  

November 6, 2005 - Zoo Visit after the demo - 1:40 pm -  Dulary was not in the exhibit.
Either Bette or Kallie was leaning over the rock gate that surrounds their exhibit. She was leaning and stretching over to get the fallen leaves on the ground. There are no trees in their exhibit, but there are some on the
outside of their exhibit on each side. She would scoop up the leaves by gathering the leaves then rolling her trunk around them and rolling it up to her mouth to eat them. She did this for about five minutes and then stepped
back probably to rest. Then she leaned over again to get more leaves and ate some more. Pretty soon she had eaten all that she could reach. There was visible three pile of feces in their exhibit. Then a zoo keeper threw out wildly small chunks of carrots onto the barren, dirt ground exhibit for the elephants to eat. Then one of the elephants seeing a zoo keeper gathering hay, almost stood up leaning against the stone wall and stretched her head and trunk as close as she could near the zoo keeper. The zoo keeper threw out some hay right against the barn wall. The elephant continued to poke her head into where the hay was kept. There seemed to be no toys or stimulation
for the elephants.

November 13, 2005 - Zoo Visit - 2:40 pm - Dulary was not in the Exhibit. Again as we went in zoo to see the elephants we were watched by zoo employees. Within the few minutes it took to walk and reach the elephant
exhibit the elephant keepers were already throwing out small pieces of carrots to the elephants. It was a large bucket full, and more than I have seen them give them at one time. There were visible 4 pile of feces, small tires tied up together and a log in their otherwise barren exhibit.