|
Someone from the Zoo told me you're just against zoos in general. Is that true?
We think zoos have a place in today's world to help animals in need. Right now there are several hundred elephants performing in circuses, and many more exotic wild animals including lions, tigers, monkeys, and so on. There are also wild domestic animals including deer, buffalo, and many more who desperately need help. We think if zoos would focus on helping a few species rather than entertaining humans with a large menagerie crammed onto a few dozen acres, everyone would benefit.
We are against breeding animals for display in captivity and capturing animals from the wild to be put into zoos (all of the Philadelphia Zoo elephants came from the wild.) We don't think zoos are educational because people do not see animals displaying natural behavior. In fact, zoos are counter-educational. For example, elephants do not raise their feet on command in the wild, and rhinos do not bob and weave for hours- both sights you will commonly see in the Philadelphia Zoo.
We think zoos breed a false sense of complacency. Zoos foster the belief that a species can be conserved by breeding a few of them in captivity, when even zoos know that the only way to save a species is to protect its habitat. RIght now, elephants are being increasingly poached for their ivory, in part because the public outcry against ivory sales has diminished. With zoos claiming that they are "conserving" the species by building multi-million dollar breeding faciliities here in North America, it's no wonder people are confused.
We believe the millions of dollars that zoos spend to breed a handful of animals for display should be used for true conservation, which is the protection of animal's native habitat.
The breeding facility where the zoo plans to send Kallie and Bette looks like a nice place. What's your problem with it?
The Philadelphia Zoo’s latest plan for its African elephants is to send them to a breeding facility near Pittsburgh; their future after that is uncertain. These elephants deserve a forever home to enjoy freedom to roam on hundreds of acres, form life-long bonds, and be free from violence and intimidation. Only a sanctuary offers this.
Bullhooks, instruments resembling fireplace pokers, will be used at the breeding facility to inflict pain and dominate elephants.
Elephants will not have free access to property at the breeding facility; while outside of the pens they will be dominated with bullhooks and confined indoors during the long winter months. .
True conservation protects elephants in their native countries – it does not include breeding more captive elephants for display.
American zoos annually spend an estimated $16 million to maintain fewer than 300 elephants. In addition, zoos spend tens of millions of dollars on elephant exhibits. If this money were spent on conservation programs in Africa and Asia, thousands of elephants could be protected.
Zoos spend far more money on marketing and advertising than true conservation. The Philly Zoo claims approximately $250,000 in "conservation" funding per year, but does not disclose what percent is spent on actual range county conservation. By contrast, the Zoo spends $1.2 million on marketing and advertising annually
What's wrong with breeding elephants in captivity?
http://www.alv.org.au/issues/whatswrongwithzoos.php
Of the 5,926 species classified as threatened or endangered by the International Union for the Conservation of Nature, only around 120 are involved in international zoo breeding programs.
Many species, including endangered species such as pandas and elephants are notoriously difficult to breed in captivity. For example, to date no elephant has ever been bred successfully in an Australian zoo and even captive populations numbering in the hundreds in Europe and the United States are not self sustaining.
There is also the problem of genetic diversity. In small populations there can be problems associated with inbreeding, which can result in genetically weaker offspring. These offspring are more vulnerable and less likely to survive in the wild.
The concept of re-introduction is plagued with serious difficulties. Species threatened by poaching will never be safe in the wild until attitudes change and the culture of poaching is eradicated.
Species threatened by habitat destruction will have no home to be re-introduced to unless suitable areas for these species have been protected.
Even if the above problems can be overcome, there are still difficulties with the process of re-introduction. Captive bred animals have often missed out on valuable lessons their wild parents would have taught them and therefore often do not have the instincts or knowledge to survive in the wild.
Read here about how complicated the social structure is for elephants, and how important it is for new mothers to have their own mothers around to learn from. This doesn't happen in zoos.
http://www.elephanttrust.org/node/491
Doesn't seeing a real elephant help people to care about elephants in the wild?
There is not a shred of evidence that seeing a captive elephant inspires an individual to take action to conserve wild elephants. The American Zoo and Aquarium Association (AZA) often quotes a study where zoo patrons were asked if seeing an elephant makes them care about them (paraphrasing), and the zoo patrons overwhelming answered yes. This type of study is meaningless.
The AZA has not, nor has any zoo, conducted meaningful research on whether seeing animals in captivity results in educating patrons or inspiring them to care about nature. Such research would require interviewing people who actually contribute time or money to help conserve animals and determine what inspired them to do so. It is very telling that the AZA nor any zoo has never conducted even one such study.
The Philly Zoo claims that some people confuse lifespan with life expectancy. What's the difference?
We understand that Zoo officials need to make the public believe that elephants are living long and happy lives in zoos. So, among other things, Zoo officials claim that zoo elephants are living as long as wild elephants because of similar life expectancies. What Zoo officials leave out is that zoo elephants are not subject to poaching, the number one cause of death of wild elephants, and the cause of an artificially low life expectancy figure in the wild. See below (in italics) for the Philly Zoo's latest public relations response to a concerned patron's question about the elephants.
The fact is that elephants in zoos are dying at half their average natural lifespan of 70 years, and the number one cause of death is foot and joint related problems, a direct result of standing around on hard surfaces. There is no scientific basis for Zoo officials' comparison of an elephants' 70 year average lifespan with the extreme human age of 120 years. Female elephants in the wild have given birth at age 60. Some elephants, even in captivity, have lived past 70 years. According to many elephant experts (see references below on this page), the average natural lifespan is 70 years.
(From the Philadelphia Zoo) "An 'apples to apples' evaluation suggests that life expectancy for zoo elephants is comparable to that for wild elephants. Some confuse life span with life expectancy. An elephant 's life span (the longest any individual has lived) is about 70, but very few elephants have lived to be 70 years old-just like very few humans live to be 120 years old. Life expectancy is how long a typical individual will live; half the individuals will live longer, half will live less. From the few long-term studies done to date, an elephant' s life expectancy in the wild is closer to mid-40's. The zoo elephant population is still too young to determine how long the "typical " individual will live, but the Philadelphia Zoo 's two older elephants have both met life expectancy for elephants in the wild."
How long can elephants live in the wild?
According to the Philadelphia Zoo: early 40's
"Elephants are long-lived animals. The few long-term studies done to date suggest that an elephant’s life expectancy in the wild is in the early to mid-40’s. (Life expectancy is how long a “typical” individual would be expected to live; half the individuals will not live as long, half will live longer). Some elephants live well beyond this age, to 70 or perhaps a little more, just like some humans live to 100 or more. At 50, the Philadelphia Zoo’s oldest African elephant is already well beyond typical life expectancy and is in great shape for her age. The Zoo’s Asian elephant, at 42, is also about to reach typical life expectancy."
http://www.philadelphiazoo.org/index.php?id=3_1_1_11
According to nearly every elephant expert: 70
Lifespan/Longevity
http://iucn.org/themes/ssc/sgs/afesg/faq/elefaq.html#RangeStates
IUCN The World Conservation Union
An elephant can live up to 70 years and when an elephant dies of old age the cause of death is often hunger as the 6th set of molars wears out.
http://www.sheldrickwildlifetrust.org/html/debate.html
David Sheldrick Wildlife Trust, Kenya
Elephant infants cannot survive without milk for the first two years of life. Thereafter, ideally, a calf would supplement its diet of vegetation with some milk from its mother for the next three years until the arrival of the next baby, by which time it will be 5 years old. It will reach puberty between the age of l0 and l5 years; be a young adult at 20, in its prime in its thirties and forties, still strong and healthy yet ageing in its fifties, and old beyond the age of sixty.
http://www.americazoo.com/goto/index/mammals/335.htm
Asian elephants are about 22 feet long, and about 8 to 10.5 ft tall at the shoulder. They can weigh up to six tons, although the females are somewhat smaller. Their life span can be up to 70 to 80 years.
http://www.davidshepherd.org/core_pages/animal_facts/african_elephant.shtml
David Shepherd Wildlife Foundation
- Lifespan - up to 60-70 years, similar to man.
- However, with the threat from ivory poaching few mature elephants with good ivory will reach this age.
- 50% are now killed before they are 15 years old.
http://www.awf.org/wildlives/71
African Wildlife Foundation
Lifespan:60 to 70 years
http://www.toledozoo.org/plantsanimals/pa_ele_about.html
An elephant's lifespan is 60 to 70 years, provided it doesn't fall victim to poachers.
http://www.ci.new-bedford.ma.us/SERVICES/zoo/facilities/berkshires/elephant.htm
An Elephant has one molar tooth on each half of each jaw. As a new tooth emerges, the older tooth moves forward, breaks up, and eventually falls out. This process is repeated six times during an elephant's lifespan of 60 to 70 years.
Dulary and the other Philly Zoo elephants have spent their entire lives in zoos. Won't they have a hard time adjusting to freedom, like the whale from "Free Willy"?
Keiko the Orca whale from the movie Free Willy, was returned to the wild. Sadly, he died of pneumonia after a few months of freedom in Norwegian coastal waters. We are not advocating that Dulary, Petal, Kallie and Bette return to the wild for many reasons, including: (1) the rest of their familes were killed and so they would not be able to return to their herd; (2) they have not developed the skills necessary to live in the wild and may be unable to adjust; (3) their habitat in the wild is rapidly diminishing due to an increasing human population.
The Elephant Sanctuary ("TES") in Tennessee is not the same as the wild, although it is the closest thing to the elephants' natural habitat available at this time. At TES, the elephants have hundreds of acres to roam and their choice of companions. At most zoos, the elephants have a fraction of an acre and are forced to live in close quarters with other elephants with whom they may or many not get along. There are numerous situations recently where zoos moved elephants to other zoos and the elephants either failed to adapt and were moved back (e.g. Ruby from the LA Zoo shipped to the Knoxville Zoo and shipped back after she failed to integrate into the herd) or failed to adapt and died within a year of transfer (Peaches, Tatima, and Wankie moved from the San Diego Zoo to a zoo in Chicago).
Please visit www.elephants.com and watch the live elecam. Read the history of the 19 elephants living there and you will see firsthand how former zoo elephants have adjusted to life at the sanctuary. Without exception, every elephant coming from a zoo has made new friends at the Sanctuary and is enjoying life - swimming in ponds, roaming for acres, and just being an elephant.
What is a "bullhook"?
The bullhook is a tool used to punish and control elephants. It is also called an ankus, elephant goad, or elephant hook. The handle is made of wood, metal, plastic, or fiberglass, and there is a sharp steel  hook at one end. Its shape resembles a boat hook or fireplace poker. Some bullhooks have long, "shepherd’s crook" cane-style handles, allowing the trainer a firmer grip so that greater force can be exerted while pulling and yanking the hook deeper into the elephant’s flesh.
Both ends inflict damage. The trainer uses the hook to apply varying degrees of pressure to sensitive spots on the elephant’s body (see diagram), causing the elephant to move away from the source of discomfort. Holding the hooked end, the handle is swung like a baseball bat and induces substantial pain when the elephant is struck on the wrist, ankle, and other areas where there is little tissue between skin and bone.
Do the zookeepers at the Philadelphia Zoo use bullhooks on the elephants?
Yes.
Are bullhooks used at sanctuaries?
Never (at TAOS-accredited sanctuaries like The Elephant Sanctuary and PAWS - but they are used at pseudo-"sanctuaries" such as Riddles.)
Are the Philadelphia Zoo elephants healthy?
In interviews with the media, the Zoo only claims that the elephants are healthy and are "showing no symptoms of problems." This is meaningless. The majority of elephants in captivity are given massive doses of painkillers to HIDE symptoms. Moreover, zoo visitors have reported that the elephants have in fact showed signs of captivity-induced problems such as stereotypic behavior (neurotic bobbing and weaving) and foot and joint problems.
The Zoo has claimed over and over that the elephants are healthy and "show no sign of arthritis or foot infection" (e.g. Keith Hinshaw, Philly Zoo Vet) yet in an interview with KYW (aired on October 23, 2005), Zoo officials claimed that "health concerns are a consideration" for relocating the elephants.
We have repeatedly requested medical records for Dulary, Petal, Kallie and Bette. The Zoo has not responded to our requests, even though it receives substantial public funding (OUR TAXES) and should be held accountable for the animals in its care.
LETTER # 1
September 22, 2005
Alexander L. Hoskins
President and Chief Executive Officer
Zoological Society of Philadelphia
3400 West Girard Avenue
Philadelphia PA 19104
VIA FACSIMILE (215-243-5385)
Dear Mr. Hoskins:
This letter is to request the following documents pertaining to the four elephants, Dulary, Petal, Kallie and Bette, living at the Philadelphia Zoo. The Zoo receives substantial public funding (approximately $1.6 million in city funding and nearly $7 million in state funding in 2003 alone) and as a taxpayer contributing to the Zoo, I ask that you make these records available promptly.
1. All medical records and keeper notes related to the above mentioned elephants dating from January 2002 to the present.
2. All correspondence and documents relating to the above mentioned elephants that were exchanged or sent to or from the Philadelphia Zoo and other zoo industry individuals or institutions dating from January 2005 to the present.
I also request the following records pertaining to the African elephant Kutenga, who according to public records, died at the Philadelphia Zoo in the early 1990’s.
3. The necropsy report for Kutenga and all medical records and keeper notes dating from two years prior to Kutenga’s death.
Please send photocopies of the materials to the address provided below. Please call me at 610-733-1248 if there are any questions or reasons for delay for fulfilling this request.
I would like to bring to your attention that Gretchen Toner, public relations director of Philadelphia Zoo, indicated to my colleague <XXXXX> that certain medical records would be forthcoming. We have waited patiently for over two months and Ms. Toner has only provided excuses for the delay. Please resolve this long-standing request as soon as possible.
Thank you for your prompt attention to this matter.
Sincerely,
Rowan Morrison
Friends of Philly Zoo Elephants
P.O. Box 42564
Philadelphia PA 19101
LETTER # 2
October 24, 2005
Alexander L. Hoskins
President and Chief Executive Officer
Zoological Society of Philadelphia
3400 West Girard Avenue
Philadelphia PA 19104
VIA FACSIMILE (215-243-5385) and EMAIL at Hoskins.Alexander@phillyzoo.org
Dear Mr. Hoskins:
This is to follow up on our letter of September 22, 2005 and the request for certain documents pertaining to the four elephants, Dulary, Petal, Kallie and Bette, living at the Philadelphia Zoo.
We have not heard back from you regarding this reasonable request. The Philadelphia Zoo receives millions of dollars of funding from the City of Philadelphia and the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, and the welfare of the animals in its care is of public concern. Moreover, as a self-described “public asset intended to serve all who learn and have fun (at the Zoo),” (see The Philadelphia Zoo Annual Report, 2004-2005, p. 4), the Zoo should voluntarily provide public access to important records pertaining to this “public asset.” Accordingly, please send the following records:
1. All medical records and keeper notes related to the above-mentioned elephants dating from January 2002 to the present.
2. All correspondence and documents relating to the above-mentioned elephants that were exchanged or sent to or from the Philadelphia Zoo and other zoo industry individuals or institutions dating from January 2005 to the present.
We also request the following records pertaining to the African elephant Kutenga, who according to public records, died at the Philadelphia Zoo in the early 1990’s.
3. The necropsy report for Kutenga and all medical records and keeper notes dating from two years prior to Kutenga’s death.
Please send photocopies of the materials to the address provided below. If we do not hear from you within ten days, by November 4, 2005, we will be forced to consider all available options to obtain the requested documents, including, but not limited to, the possible intervention of city officials.
Thank you for your prompt attention to this matter.
Sincerely,
Rowan Morrison
LETTER # 3
November 21, 2005
Alexander L. Hoskins
President and Chief Executive Officer
Zoological Society of Philadelphia
3400 West Girard Avenue
Philadelphia PA 19104
VIA FACSIMILE (215-243-5385) and EMAIL at Hoskins.Alexander@phillyzoo.org
Dear Mr. Hoskins:
This is to follow up on our letters of September 22, 2005 and October 24, 2005 and our request for certain documents pertaining to the four elephants, Dulary, Petal, Kallie and Bette, living at the Philadelphia Zoo.
As of the date of this letter, we have not received a response from the Zoo regarding our request. Therefore, we are reviewing all available options for obtaining the records, including legal action and a request for withdrawal of the Zoo's public funding until the Zoo provides the requested records. We do not understand why the Zoo refuses to disclose records for animals that Zoo representatives have described as healthy.
If you would like to pursue an amicable resolution, please contact me at the phone number or address below within ten business days, or by December 9, 2005. In the meantime, we will be pursuing other means to obtain the requested documents.
Sincerely,
Rowan Morrison
610-733-1248
P.O. Box 42564
Philadelphia PA 19101
www.HelpPhillyZooElephants.com
Why is Dulary being kept inside the concrete barn most of the time?
No one knows for sure, but the Zoo has claimed many different things.
(1) The Zoo has stated that Dulary was kept inside the concrete barn to heal from her eye injury. According to the Zoo, Dulary was kept inside the barn for months after her injury on August 30 because of concern that she would get dust in the injury. However, FPZE members videotaped Dulary outside on November 24, 2005. On that day, Dulary was outside and allowed to give herself a dust bath (photos on the homepage of this website). It is unlikely the Philly Zoo would allow Dulary outside in November if she was not fully healed from her injury. Thus, she must have been healed at that point - it was nearly three months after the injury. Despite being healed from her injury, she was kept inside the barn for days on end for months afterward, and she continues to spend approximately 20-22 hours a day inside the barn.
(2) The Zoo has stated that Dulary is not getting along with the African elephants.
(3) The Zoo has stated that Dulary is not being kept inside the barn - she is let outside "frequently." This contradicts eyewitness reports from regular visitors to the Zoo who have documented that Dulary is not outside when the Africans are outside, and that the Africans are allowed outside more often than Dulary.
UPDATE: MAY 2007 - DULARY IS HOME AT THE ELEPHANT SANCTUARY, NEVER AGAIN WILL SHE BE CONFINED AGAINST HER WILL! CHECK HER PROGRESS HERE: Dulary's Diary.
How many elephants have died at the Philadelphia Zoo?
Since 1990, two elephants were killed at the Philadelphia Zoo.
KUTENGA On July 31, 1991, Kutenga, a 27-year-old female African elephant, was discovered lying on the floor of the cement barn at 7 a.m. It was unknown how long she had been collapsed on the floor. For more than six hours, 25 zoo employees poked, prodded and pushed her trying to get her to stand up. A tow truck was also used to push her. After suffering in severe pain for more than six hours, Kutenga died at 1:30 pm. Test resulfs showed that she had a collapsed left lung, severe nerve and muscle damage in her left shoulder and hip, and a shattered left cheekbone. Kutenga also suffered from severe degenerative joint disease - arthritis - in her left elbow.
Kutenga was taken from her family in the wild when she was a baby and lived on display in various zoos her entire life.
PEGGY On February 10, 1994, Peggy, a 53-year-old Asian elephant collapsed in the cement barn. She was discovered by her keepers lying on the concrete floor. She was euthanized shortly afterward. Peggy had been under treatment for chronic arthritis and dental disease.
I heard about a fire at the Philadelphia Zoo. What happened?
Philadelphia Zoo Fire
A fire in the primate building of the Philadelphia Zoo during the early morning hours of December 24, 1995 killed 23 animals, including a family group of six lowland gorillas, a family group of three orangutans, four white-handed gibbons, and ten lemurs (2 ruffed, 6 ringtail, and 2 mongoose). All were members of endangered species. The animals died in their sleep from smoke inhalation (carbon monoxide poisoning); none were burned. Ten primates who were housed in an adjoining building, the Discovery House, survived.
Two security guards smelled smoke by the Philadelphia Zoo's primate house as they made their rounds about 10 p.m. Saturday, but they took no action. They dismissed the smell as coming from nearby railroad tracks as had happened frequently. Almost three hours later, at 12:40 a.m. Sunday, the guards returned and found flames on the roof. Fire and zoo officials pinned the blaze on an electrical malfunction caused by improperly installed wires that heated ceiling pipes. Snow on the roof of the 10-year-old World of Primates building muffled any noise that might have been produced by smoke alarms, and fire officials found no one who had heard them sound. The alarm system worked when the city last tested it, in September. The primate house had three smoke alarms but did not have automatic sprinklers, which might not have spared the animals. "The fire was outside and the smoke spread through the ceiling," Pete Hoskins, president of the Zoo, said. "The animals in this case very likely would have suffered the same fate" even with sprinklers.
The Fire Department has recommended that the zoo train its guards to call 911, that it install sprinklers "wherever practical" in the animal houses, and that it create a central alarm system. Fire officials could not pinpoint the time that the fire started in the ceiling of the World of Primates building's breezeway, a 30-foot-by-30-foot section near the gorillas' living quarters. Firefighters said they had the blaze under control by 1:09 a.m.
-- This article was compiled from sources including Primate-Talk, CompMed, The Philadelphia Daily News, and The Philadelphia Inquirer. http://www.brown.edu/Research/Primate/fire.html
CPSC Re-Issues Heat Tape Guidelines In Wake Of Zoo Fire
WASHINGTON, D.C. After receiving reports that a recent fire at the Philadelphia Zoo was associated with electrical heat tapes, U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission is re-issuing its guidelines for the safe use of electric heat tapes.
Electric heat tapes are frequently installed in attics and under porches of conventional homes and under floors of mobile homes to prevent water pipes from freezing. CPSC estimates that each year about 1500 fires, 10 deaths, and 100 injuries result from faulty electric heat tapes.
The fire at the Philadelphia Zoo killed 23 primates, all of them endangered species.
Early reports indicate that the fire was associated with electric heat tapes.
"The tragic loss of animals at the Philadelphia Zoo underscores the potential dangers of heat tapes that are old, worn, or improperly installed and maintained," said CPSC Chairman Ann Brown.
*****************
Ten years later, Mr. Hoskins uses the tragedy to highlight his leadership skills.
http://www.dailypennsylvanian.com/home/index.cfm?event=displayArticlePrinterFriendly&uStory_id=0da7266a-4b46-4dfd-831f-4289ab84ec83
How big is the Philadelphia Zoo?
The Philadelphia Zoo is 42 acres. A vast amount of the space is used for things other than animal exhibits. For example, the Zoo has a large "Picnic Grove" area and a relatively enormous "Impala Lawn" (used for parties and other events); each of these places dwarf the size of the elephant exhibit. The "Solitude," a beautiful two-story building where the Zoo's executive offices are found, overlooks a spacious yard. For a map of the Zoo, click this link: http://www.philadelphiazoo.org/index.php?id=1_4
The Philadelphia Zoo is a fraction of the size of other zoos. Here is a list of the largest ten zoos in the North America:
1. The Wilds (Cumberland, Ohio) - 3,500 acres
2. Fossil Rim Wildlife Center (Glen Rose, Texas) - 1,900 acres
3. San Diego Zoo's Wild Animal Park - 800 acres
4. Northwest Trek Wildlife Park (Eatonville, Wash.) - 732 acres
5. Toronto Zoo - 710 acres
6. Columbus Zoo and Aquarium (Ohio) - 590 acres
7. Disney's Animal Kingdom (Lake Buena Vista, Fla.) - 500 acres
8. North Carolina Zoological Park (Asheboro, N.C.) - 500 acres
9. Wildlife Safari (Ashland, Neb.) - 500 acres
10. Brookgreen Gardens (Murrells, S.C.) - 350 acres
None of the zoos in the U.S. have allotted adequate space for their elephant exhibits - the largest is less than eight acres. The Elephant Sanctuary in Hohenwald, Tennesse, has over 2,700 acres and is dedicated exclusively to elephants.
The Philly Zoo does not like the public knowing the elephants' names - why?
We don't know why the Philly Zoo has tried to keep the names of its elephants "top secret." The only reason we've heard is that the Philly Zoo thinks the public will call out the names of the elephants and the elephants will respond. This is an odd reason, because up until about five or six years ago, all of the elephants names were public- provided by the Zoo in news articles, etc. In fact, we are not aware of any other zoo that tries to keep the elephants' names from the public. For the answer to this one, you're going to have to ask the Philly Zoo.
October 2006 Update: under the new Zoo management, the names of the elephants have been made public. The Zoo even provided details about each elephant's personality in a recent newspaper article.
What are the "Ele's Angels"?
Please click here to learn more about the Ele's Angels!
|
