Friends of Woodland Park Zoo Elephants

From the Animal Legal Defense Fund:

SEATTLE—Outraged citizens represented by the Animal Legal Defense Fund are filing a lawsuit against the City of Seattle today to stop the City’s unlawful use of taxpayer dollars to support the Woodland Park Zoo’s reckless and illegally cruel treatment of its elephants. As a result of inadequate facilities, abusive management practices, longstanding intentional neglect, and breeding practices in callous disregard for elephants’ welfare, the Zoo’s elephants Bamboo, Watoto, and Chai suffer from severe and chronic foot and joint injuries, unexplained physical trauma and bleeding, and sustained psychological harm. Chai’s daughter, Hansa, died in 2007 when she was only six years old as a result of the Zoo’s practices. Plaintiffs Mary Sebek and Nancy Farnam—both Seattle taxpayers—brought their concerns about the misuse of city funds to support illegal conduct at the Zoo to the national non-profit Animal Legal Defense Fund (ALDF), whose attorneys are representing them.

Read the full text of the press release here. Also check out their video:

Bamboo with foot infection

Please join Friends of Woodland Park Zoo Elephants in reminding donors attending Woodland Park Zoo’s (WPZ) largest fund raiser of the year, of the suffering endured by the three elephants on display at WPZ.

Three “human elephants” will perform neurotic behaviors exhibited by Bamboo, Chai and Watoto. One “human elephant” will be caged in a 4′ x 4′ enclosure; the human equivalent to the elephants’ barn stall.

Who: Friends of Woodland Park Zoo Elephants, 206-595-7770, wpzelephants@yahoo.com
When: Friday, July 9, 2010, 4pm – 6:00
Where: Woodland Park Zoo’s NORTH entrance – N. 59th and Phinney Ave N., Seattle, WA  98103
Signs and banners provided.

Bamboo, Chai and Watoto, who live at Woodland Park Zoo, are locked in a tiny barn stall 16 – 17 hours a day for 7 months of the year.  WPZ medical records reveal they suffer from captivity-induced ailments such as colic, obesity, arthritis and painful foot problems.  (Foot problems are the #1 cause of death in zoo elephants.)

Outdoors, our elephants have less than 1 acre.  It is well documented that zoo confinement causes elephants to die decades before their natural lifespan.

The Elephant Sanctuary

The 2,700 acre Elephant Sanctuary has offered to give our elephants a home for life. For the first time, these intelligent, social animals would be able to roam thousands of acres and make companions of their own choosing.  They would be able to heal from the physical and mental trauma of zoo captivity.

Come show your support for the Zoo to make the humane decision to let them go.

This year’s “thank you for coming gift” is a grocery tote that proclaims:

“Proud supporter of free-roaming elephants
Out of the Zoo – Into a Sanctuary”