Contact: Marianne Bessey, 610-733-1248
Catherine Doyle, 323-301-5730
Anniversary of Controversial Philly Zoo Elephant Move Marked by Offer to Provide “Ele-cam”
Animal protection groups want public to be able to view former zoo elephants on-line
Philadelphia, Pa.– To mark this week’s one-year anniversary of the controversial transfer of two Philadelphia Zoo elephants to a Somerset, Penn., breeding-holding facility, Friends of Philly Zoo Elephants (FPZE) and international animal protection group In Defense of Animals (IDA) are offering a novel way to keep in touch with the former zoo residents: a live-streaming webcam.
In a letter sent to the Philadelphia and Pittsburgh Zoo today, the organizations offered to fund a live webcam that would enable the public to view former Philadelphia residents Kallie and Bette any time. Pittsburgh Zoo owns the breeding-holding facility, which hold the two females and Jackson, a male owned by Pittsburgh. It is closed to the public.
“People are constantly asking how Kallie and Bette are doing,” said FPZE spokesperson and Philadelphia resident Marianne Bessey. “A web cam would allow the community to see exactly how the elephants are living at the Somerset facility.”
Weeks before Bette and Kallie were trucked out, the Philadelphia Zoo provided the public with an opportunity to “say good-bye and promised “regular updates” on its website (the zoo retains ownership of the elephants). In the year since the transfer, the zoo released photos and videos just once, during a staged media event on July 28, 2009. Neither the Pittsburgh Zoo nor the Philadelphia Zoo mentions them on their websites.
In stark contrast, a CBS news crew documented the May 2007 transfer of Dulary from the Philadelphia Zoo to The Elephant Sanctuary in Tenn. The Sanctuary provides regular updates on the elephant, along with photos and video.
Animal organizations criticized Kallie and Bette’s July 8, 2009, transfer to the Somerset facility for breeding, warning that the 28-year-old African elephants were already too old and that their lives would be endangered. The Pittsburgh Zoo has since determined that neither elephant is a candidate for breeding, yet they remain at the facility. Philadelphia Zoo Director Vik Dewan admits they could be sent to yet another zoo.
“Kallie and Bette should be sent to a natural-habitat sanctuary, where they would have a spacious permanent home and the stability that elephants need,” said Catherine Doyle, IDA Elephant Campaign Director. “Until then, it is important that the public be able to monitor their lives and welfare via a web cam.”
Tomorrow, local citizens will gather to encourage the zoos to implement the webcam and advocate sending Kallie and Bette to a lifetime home at a sanctuary.
WHEN: Thursday, July 8, 2010, 12:00 p.m.
WHERE: Sidewalk in front of Philadelphia Zoo, 34th St. & Girard Ave.
WHAT: Demonstration for Kallie and Bette
Please see www.helpelephants.com or www.ElesAngels.com for more information.
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