Friends of Woodland Park Zoo Elephants

The Ballard News-Tribune posted a great opinion piece about the conditions and expense of the elephant exhibit at Woodland Park Zoo, written by elephant advocate and FOWPZE co-founder Alyne Fortgang.

Woodland Park Zoo announced it will be closing the Night House exhibit in order to save money. It is reported that the zoo is cutting $700,000 dollars, including 12 full-time jobs, from its $29 million budget.

The most expensive animals to keep on display at a zoo are elephants – close to $400,000.00 a year for the three elephants housed at Woodland Park Zoo.

In addition to being expensive, the postage stamp-sized exhibit is woefully inadequate for the planet’s largest land mammal.

For about seven months of the year, the elephants are locked in a barren barn stall for 16 to 17 hours a day due to climate.

Outdoors, they share less than one acre of yard. Science has conclusively shown that deprivation of space and social contact causes mental and physical suffering in elephants, resulting in their lifespan being shortened by decades.

Read the full article about the WPZ elephant exhibit here.

Elephant on an Indian sanctuary

A major indication that zoos are on the wrong side of history when they insist on keeping elephants in tiny zoo “habitats”, this article came out of the Associated Press this past week:

NEW DELHI — All elephants living in Indian zoos and circuses will be moved to wildlife parks and game sanctuaries where the animals can graze more freely, officials said Friday.

The decision affects around 140 elephants in 26 zoos and 16 circuses in the country, said B.K. Gupta, an officer at India’s Central Zoo Authority.

The AP even acknowledged what elephant experts have been saying for years (at least those not affiliated with zoos):

Increasingly, research shows that elephants in the wild have longer life spans and better health and reproductive records than those in captivity, Sukumar said.

Zoo elephants often die prematurely and contract diseases or suffer obesity and arthritis more frequently than in their natural habitats, he said.

The sad news out of this article is that many captive elephants in India live terrible lives in temples and logging camps. Those elephants will not be released by this order. But as EcoWorldly points out, it is definitely a major step in the right direction.

Read the full AP story here

“Bizarro” cartoonist, Dan Piraro, created this excellent cartoon and commentary on zoo elephants.

Dan Piraro has been a supporter of animals and animal activists for many years, even participating in local fundraisers.


Woodland Park Zoo: Less than one acre outdoors and Seattle’s climate forces elephants to be locked in small, barren barn stalls for 16 – 17 hours a day for about 7 months a year.
The Elephant Sanctuary: 2,700 acres in a sub-tropical climate.

If you believe Bamboo, Watoto, and Chai should live like elephants at The Elephant Sanctuary, please write to: Tom Rasmussen (Seattle City Council) and Deborah Jensen, (Woodland Park Zoo president): tom.rasmussen@seattle.gov, deborah.jensen@zoo.org
Or call Deborah Jensen at 206-548-2416 and Tom Rasmussen at 206-684-8808.