Friends of Woodland Park Zoo Elephants

David Hancocks, former Director of several zoos including Seattle’s Woodland Park Zoo, is giving a presentation at Town Hall in Seattle. He will discuss the Future of Zoos with an emphasis on the future of elephants in zoos. He is deeply knowledgeable, persuasive, and entertaining. There will be an opportunity to ask questions.

When: Wednesday, May 23^rd, 2012. 7:30pm – 9pm
Where: Town Hall, 1119 8th Avenue, Seattle, WA 98101
Tickets: At $5.00 they will go fast. Seats are limited. http://www.brownpapertickets.com/event/244456

David Hancocks: “One needs to question why the Zoo [Woodland Park Zoo] is so very desperate to hold on to elephants. Their logic is surely based on vested interests. More puzzling is why they are so content, even proud, to keep the elephants in such bad conditions.”

Ringling Bros. Circus is applying to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service to renew their breeding registration for Asian elephants. They have repeatedly demonstrated that elephants should not be in their care—the largest fine in animal welfare history was levied against them. Public comments are extremely important and influence the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. Being in a circus is pure hell for these gentle giants.

Your comments can be short and simple. Such as:

Email: dmafr@fws.gov (or call 703.358.2104 x1989)
Subject line: Deny Ringling’s application for breeding application
E-mail text: Please deny Ringling’s application to renew its captive-bred wildlife registration (PRT-720230) for Asian elephants.

Congress is currently considering legislation – H.R. 3359, the Traveling Exotic Animal Protection Act – which would restrict the use of wild animals in traveling circuses. Please visit the link below to urge your legislators to support this bill. Elephants and other wild animals deserve to live out their lives naturally and not be forced into a life of misery in circuses.

Click here to take action now

The Reid Zoo in Tucson, AZ plans to transfer their two elephants – Connie and Shaba – to the San Diego Zoo where sadly these two friends of 30 years will be separated from one another. The PAWS Sanctuary has offered to take in these two ladies at their sanctuary instead where they’d get to live out the remainder of their lives together and with dignity. Please contact officials in Tucson and urge them to surrender Connie and Shaba to PAWS rather than send them to a zoo where they’ll be separated.

mayor1@tucsonaz.gov, ward1@tucsonaz.gov, ward2@tucsonaz.gov, ward3@tucsonaz, goward4@tucsonaz.gov, ward5@tucsonaz.gov, ward6@tucsonaz.gov

Read more about these two ladies in this Tucson Weekly guest column. Here’s an excerpt:

Celebrated television personality and animal-welfare activist Bob Barker is going to “come on down” for Connie and Shaba so that Tucson’s beloved elephants can remain together—but will the City Council join him?

On a recommendation from the Association of Zoos and Aquariums, both the Reid Park Zoo and San Diego Zoo have refused to find a way to keep them together—and believe us, we’ve asked.

Aside from those zoos, no other accredited facility that houses African and Asian elephants together is remotely suitable for Connie and Shaba due to a small exhibit size, the use of bull hooks or requirements that elephants give rides and perform circus tricks. This speaks strongly to their so-called “rigorous” standards. Forced to reach beyond that system, we approached PAWS (the Performing Animal Welfare Society), which has agreed to provide sanctuary for Connie and Shaba—together—when no one else has.