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Philadelphia Zoo May Move Elephants on Shortfall

November 18, 2005
Yahoo

Four elephants at the Philadelphia Zoo, the oldest in the U.S., may go the way of Winky, Wanda, Lulu and Tinkerbelle.

Beset by increasing costs and fundraising problems, the zoo's board voted last month to defer plans for a new $20 million elephant yard and instead build an aviary and children's zoo. That means the zoo's four female elephants -- three from Africa and one from Asia -- may go elsewhere. The zoo will decide on moving the animals in a "timely manner,'' spokeswoman Ginette Meluso said.

Philadelphia isn't alone with its elephant problems. At least eight U.S. zoos have sent their pachyderms packing.

The Detroit Zoo closed its elephant exhibit earlier this year after 77 years, sending 46-year-old Winky and 51-year-old Wanda to the 2,300-acre wildlife sanctuary run by the Performing Animal Welfare Society, or PAWS, in San Andreas, California. They joined Lulu and Tinkerbelle, the San Francisco Zoo's elephants.

"The whole issue of elephants in zoos is getting more and more contentious,'' said Richard Farinato, a former zoo administrator now with the Washington-based Humane Society of the United States, the largest U.S. animal-protection group. "They're not doing terrifically well in captivity.''

Animal-rights activists say elephants, which can live to 70 and weigh more than 9,000 pounds, are often kept in too-cold climates and in spaces too small to get enough exercise.

Philadelphia's zoo is one of the biggest tourist attractions in the city, the fifth-largest in the U.S., drawing 1 million visitors a year. Its elephants -- named Dulary, Petal, Kallie and Bette -- are crammed into a quarter-acre enclosure that has been in use for 60 years.

"In the wild, they roam 30 miles a day, and in this zoo they stand around,'' said Rowan Morrison, a leader of the group Friends of the Philly Zoo Elephants, which has staged protests encouraging the move. "It's excruciatingly boring.''

The elephants are receiving excellent diets, veterinary attention and care, said Gretchen Toner, a zoo spokeswoman. None of them show any signs of arthritis or foot problems, she said.

'Better Home'

"We believe our elephants are doing very well here,'' said Alexander Hoskins, the Philadelphia zoo's president. Still, with space so tight, "We'll look for the most appropriate, accredited facility for them.''

The Philadelphia Inquirer, the city's largest newspaper, urged the zoo in a May editorial to send its elephants "to zoos that can provide them a better home.'' A proposed 2 1/2-acre savanna for the elephants "would not be a wise investment,'' the paper said.

The zoo displayed one elephant, chained by the foot to an oak tree, when it opened 131 years ago. The zoo's 42 acres are now home to more than 1,600 animals, supported by an annual budget of $25 million. Eighty percent of the budget comes from admissions and the rest is donated, Hoskins said.

The Bronx Zoo in New York, which claims to be the nation's largest city zoo at 265 acres, has Asian elephants among its 6,000 animals. Linda Corcoran, a spokeswoman for the Bronx Zoo, said nobody who could provide information about the zoo's elephants was immediately available.

Space, Climate

One Sunday morning last month, a man who identified himself only as Joe and a member of People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals, protested outside the Philadelphia zoo's main gate, dressed in a velvet elephant suit with a simulated chain dangling from one hoof. A poster nearby showed a cartoon elephant stuffed in a cage.

"They need space and a milder climate, neither of which Philadelphia can provide,'' said Morrison, who was leading the demonstration. She favors transferring the zoo's elephants, ranging in age from 23 to 49, to a wildlife sanctuary.

Catherine Doyle, spokeswoman for In Defense of Animals in Mill Valley, California, said her group is looking at medical records from public zoos in the U.S. Captive elephants die at an average age of 34, about half their age in the wild, she said.

"We are finding that there are a lot of these problems in zoos, including repetitive swaying and rocking behavior'' that indicates psychological disorders, Doyle said. "Zoos are not meeting their needs.''

Elephant Sanctuary

Ron Kagen, head of the Detroit Zoo, said weather played a role in the decision to move the elephants out West. Detroit's average temperatures in January range between 16 degrees and 30 degrees Fahrenheit, according to the city.

"We realized we weren't going to be able to provide a year- round physical and social environment,'' Kagen said.

The zoo built support for its decision to move the elephants through town-hall meetings, Kagen said.

"The majority knows why we did it and support it,'' he said. "Everyone misses seeing live elephants, but the cost is to have them in a small room all winter -- it's not an ideal situation.''

U.S. zoos house about 500 elephants. Eleven roam the 2,700- acre Elephant Sanctuary in Hohenwald, Tennessee, 85 miles southwest of Nashville, said Carol Buckley, who runs the preserve. Most were afflicted with foot, bone and joint ailments, she said.

"All elephants should be moved from zoos and circuses,'' Buckley said. "We should do the responsible thing.''

'Hiding Them'

The public is barred from the nonprofit sanctuary, whose $2.5 million budget is donated by individuals and companies such as Memphis-based FedEx Corp. People can watch the elephants on the "Elecam'' at http://www.elephants.com .

Some zoo officials are resolved to keep their elephants. The Birmingham Zoo in Alabama, which has had Mona for more than 50 years, plans a $15 million expansion that will add waterfalls and tree canopies on 20 acres for more elephants.

"Hiding them in a sanctuary doesn't do it,'' said William Foster, the zoo's chief executive. "They need to be seen.''